AVERY COUNTY, N.C. — It's a large farm that has been in operation in the heart of Avery County since the 1950s.

David Cartner said it all began with his father, who at the time was searching for the perfect crop for a one-acre farm. 

What You Need To Know

  • The White House Christmas tree was chosen in Newland

  • Staff was in Avery County searching for the perfect tree Monday

  • Staff had specific requirements for the tree

"My father started out when there was about five or six people in the industry. Dad was one of the founders of the Christmas tree industry in western North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia," Cartner said.

Cartner and his brothers Jim and Sam run the farm now. It's where White House staff came searching for the blue room Christmas tree.

"I'm delighted that after 63 years it's a great honor to take the tree to Washington," David Cartner said.

They searched for a 20-foot tree, around 10 feet wide. They eventually found the perfect tree, one that Cartner's father planted 25 years ago.

"When a tree gets this old it gets a lot of woody parts in the center so you want the foliage to be nice on the outside and this was nice," Sam Cartner said.

Sam Cartner said his dad would be proud, even though their farm lost between 5,000 and 6,000 trees from Helene. They say this year they will be OK and they'd like for this "tremendous" tree to represent everyone in western North Carolina.

"We want it to represent all the other Christmas tree farmers. We want it to represent the people of western North Carolina that have just endured the worst disaster in our history and we want it to represent the love and generosity that people all over the United States have given," Sam Cartner said.