NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Believe it or not, Christmas is 100 days away! But for some, the season is all year round.

In North Carolina, 40,000 acres of land are used for Christmas tree production. But climate change is putting nearly $250 million worth of state essentials at risk.

In response, there are elves who put their magic into not a toy, but an essential part of every family’s Christmas season.

“This is not a Christmas tree. It’s a research tree.” Dr. Justin Whitehill leads Santa’s Science Workshop. “It’s a bit Charlie Brown,” he laughs. Dr. Whitehill is a forest health expert who specializes in the genetics of Christmas trees.

North Carolina ranks second for Christmas greens, supplying over 20% of the nation’s trees.

“… Frazier fir. It’s very soft, has good needles and smells great,” he explains. And uniquely, it’s the only place in the United States where seeds can be grown.

“The beauty of Frazier fir is that the needles are very soft and the branches are tough, which makes them great for holding ornaments,” says Dr. Whitehill.

Best known for its pine-like scent and needle retention, it was chosen to grace the halls of the White House more than any other tree. Naturally, consumers don’t want trees in their living rooms, and all the needles fall off a few weeks after harvest,” he explains.

But as North Carolina loses its cold winters, our gold standard trees are at risk.

So his team of scientists are looking for the optimal genes to make trees grow faster, bigger and more resilient. He adds that they are “seeking to improve the ability of these trees to withstand climatic stress, climate change, and challenges from insects and fungal pathogens.”

Both insects and fungal pathogens thrive in warm, wet winters, a sign of climate change. Dr. Whitehill.

The pressure on the tree is accompanied by stress on the grower and microscopic killers cause roots to rot underground. Adarsha Devihalli has her Ph.D. He is a student in the tree genetics lab, studying pathogens and tree reactions. “It is difficult for producers to confirm the presence of pathogens, and it is difficult to treat them.”

And even hard-shelled insects that steal visible nutrients are hard to prevent from stress. He focuses on insects and their effect on his tree at Christmas in North Carolina. “Insecticides cannot penetrate the hard cuticle and cannot effectively kill insects,” he explains.

Karthik explains. That’s where genetics comes in, adds Debihari.

One unsuspecting defense mechanism is the scent itself, which reminds us that the holidays are approaching. Will Baldwin has his Ph.D. A student researching a compound like pinene that produces the strong pine scent that everyone knows and loves.

Baldwin explains that the compounds that create familiar scents are meant to repel pests. Deer can’t stand being bitten, but people have come to like the smell. “The boiling point is also very low, so it evaporates from the wood, which is why it smells,” he adds.

Baldwin explains that there is science in odor defense. But with research comes a balancing act to maintain your Christmas nostalgia.

The Petri dishes lined up in the lab are like putting the final bow on a wrapped gift. Angela Chang is the research assistant and lab manager who ties the bow.

“If you’re lucky, all of a sudden you start producing little clumps of somatic embryonic tissue.” The tissues she works with are selected from only the best properties of the most resilient trees discovered by fellow scientists. rice field. “We dissected some embryos from mature seeds,” she explains.

Dr. Whitehill says this is an important step in creating a more resilient tree.

Scientists in North Carolina hope the elite tree will put them on Santa’s nice list even after the stress of the holiday season.

“There are ways to deal with it, but our research program is trying to stay ahead of these issues and ensure the industry’s future viability,” recalls Dr. Whitehill.