The Tobacco Trust Fund Christmas Tree Seed Center of Excellence is officially open. A ribbon cutting at the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Upper Mountain Research Station not only marked the formal grand opening, but also the beginning of a new chapter for North Carolina’s Christmas tree industry.
NCDA&CS and NC State University leaders joined Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler on July 16 to celebrate the facility, which will process and store the world’s only certified Fraser fir seed developed through nearly three decades of research by NCDA&CS and NC State.
The marquee moment came when representatives from NCDA&CS, NC State, the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission and the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association joined together for the ceremonial ribbon cutting, officially opening the seed center.
“It’s about much more than opening a building or opening a facility,” said Myron Floyd, dean of NC State’s College of Natural Resources. “We’re celebrating the culmination of more than 30 years of research, innovation and collaboration. … As Alpha Select seeds reach growers this fall, decades of research are becoming real-world results.”
The project was made possible through grants from the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, which funded construction of the building and later the specialized equipment needed to process Fraser fir seed.
“They invested over a million dollars in this facility,” said Tracy Taylor, operations manager for NCDA&CS’s Research Stations Division. “My message to you guys today is, you made a good investment.”
Taylor noted that the center has already processed and cleaned 140 pounds of Fraser fir seed, which he estimated is 3 to 4 million viable seeds that will support North Carolina growers for years to come.
Bill Teague, chairman of the commission, said supporting the project aligned perfectly with the commission’s mission.
“Our responsibility is to invest in projects that will make a meaningful, lasting difference for North Carolina agriculture,” Teague said. “This project clearly met that standard.”
Teague also thanked the North Carolina General Assembly for its continued commitment to the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, noting that lawmakers’ ongoing support helps ensure “North Carolina agriculture remains strong, competitive and prepared for the future.”
Commissioner Troxler reflected on the project’s beginnings, recalling a 2021 visit to the research station to hear more about challenges facing the Christmas tree industry. That outline of concerns came from Taylor who was the station superintendent at the time and the director of the Research Stations Division Teresa Lambert.
“They said, ‘We’ve got a problem,’” Troxler recalled. “I told Tracy, ‘Don’t let money stand in the way of your success. We will find the money to get this done. It’s that important.’”
Lambert told the people gathered that the commissioner’s approval meant she and Taylor got to work writing grant requests and figuring out all the other logistics. That led to the proposal to the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission that ultimately resulted in the funding. Then there were construction plans and many other details to figure out.
“We didn’t have a roadmap. We did not have a handbook. We didn’t have an instruction manual,” Lambert said. “We just set out to solve the problem that he tasked us with.
“It’s a good day,” Lambert continued. “This new facility and the genetic material that Dr. Frampton and Dr. Justin Whitehill are developing for testing and distribution to North Carolina growers is the only certified seed of Fraser fir on the planet. That’s something pretty impressive. That doesn’t happen anywhere else except Laurel Springs, North Carolina. We should all be proud of that.”
Troxler praised the partnership between NCDA&CS, NC State and the commission, calling it an example of how investments in agriculture and agricultural research strengthen the state’s farm economy.
“National statistics show that for every dollar invested in agricultural research, there’s $19 of return,” Troxler said. “We’ve got to keep plowing forward with research every year to make sure that we remain successful. … This is exactly what we had in mind when we set the Tobacco Trust Fund up [with funding from the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement]. We know that we’ve had a transition – especially in the mountains – away from tobacco, and Christmas trees have become a dominant industry. So the future of that industry is the future of agriculture in Western North Carolina.”
One of the ceremony’s most personal moments came when Taylor paused to recognize four people he said helped remove barriers throughout the project: Commissioner Troxler, Lambert, director of the commission William Upchurch and the director of NCDA&CS’s Property and Construction Division Andy Meier.
Taylor presented each of the four people with a commemorative display featuring a capsule of the first Alpha Select Fraser fir seed ever processed in the new facility.
“When we started processing seed, the very first seed that came through this facility, we kept it,” Taylor said. “Each one of these guys has got a measure of the very first seed that came out of this facility.
“I promise you, none of these guys will take credit for anything,” he added, “but without them, this building wouldn’t be here.”
