Media Contacts:
Dennis Hazel, Extension Forestry, 919/515-5573
Natalie Hampton, CALS, 919/513-3128

Nov. 20, 2003

Airborne Christmas Trees Go to Airborne Troops in Iraq

Fifty North Carolina Christmas trees will brighten the holiday season for troops of the 82nd Airborne Division, thanks to N.C. Cooperative Extension forestry specialists at North Carolina State University, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and two associations representing the state’s Christmas-tree growers.

The trees will be cut this week and shipped on Monday, Nov. 24, from Boone to Fort Bragg for transport to troops in Iraq. The 82nd Airborne Division is based at Fort Bragg, and many of its troops are serving in Iraq. News media are invited to cover this event as it unfolds in Boone and at Fort Bragg.

A representative of the 82nd Airborne originally contacted Diana May and Nancy Spillman of the Eastern North Carolina Tree Growers Association (ENCCTGA) about donating Christmas trees. They sought advice from Drs. Dennis Hazel and John Frampton, forestry extension specialists and faculty in NC State’s College of Natural Resources. Hazel and Frampton recommended Fraser firs because of their durability and physical characteristics.

“It’s probably the best tree species for the hot, dry climate of Iraq,” said Frampton.

The Fraser fir trees, grown in the state’s western counties, were donated by the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association (NCCTA) in Boone. The ENCCTGA will share in the project by paying to box the trees and transport them from Boone to Fort Bragg, and will also provide tree stands and lights for the trees.

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Plant Industry
Division, in cooperation with the Marketing Division, provided the phytosanitary certificate necessary for shipping the trees overseas.

News events associated with the gift of trees to the troops are described below:

• Throughout the day Friday: Trees from Northwestern N.C. growers will be arriving at the NCCTA office in Boone. The trees will be stored there in a cool place. Contact: Linda Gragg, 828/262-5826.
• Monday: Donated trees will be loaded on a truck at the NCCTA office from 7 to 8 a.m. to be transported to Fort Bragg later in the day. Contact: Fletcher Spillman, 336/434-1090.
• Monday: The trees will arrive at Fort Bragg in the afternoon, where they will be loaded on planes for transport to Iraq. Included in the shipment will be Christmas tree lights, stands and handmade ornaments donated by youth of the Mt. Vernon Methodist Church of Trinity. Contacts: Diana May, 919/362-6300; Master Sgt. Pam Smith, 82nd Airborne Public Affairs, 919/432-0661 or 919/432-0662.

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