It’s planting season for a lot of crops, including Christmas trees, which are a huge industry in North Carolina. Frasier firs, which represent the vast majority of Christmas trees grown in North Carolina, face a lot of threats during their ten-year growing cycle, especially from climate change.
Co-host Jeff Tiberii talks with North Carolina State assistant professor Justin Whitehill, who runs the NC State Christmas Tree Genetics Program, about his efforts to grow trees that can be harvested sooner, hold onto carbon more efficiently, and look more like the “perfect Christmas tree”– with a goal to benefit growers, consumers and the environment.
Guest
Justin Whitehill, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Christmas Tree Genetics, North Carolina State University