Avery County IPM Program
Christmas Tree Production

We have a unique Christmas Tree Program in the Avery County Extension Center, the Avery County IPM Program. The Program was developed in 1991 to bring Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices to Fraser fir production. For over 12 years the Program has been successful in developing, testing, and implementing IPM principles in the production of Fraser fir Christmas trees.

IPM practices include scouting for insects, weeds, and diseases as well as soil and tissue sampling. The information gathered from these activities then provides a solid basis for making pest management decisions, fertilizer, cultural and production plans that are timely and effective. At the same time, IPM philosophy is that "through solid, well collected information, only necessary chemical input and protection of the natural resources occurs".

The Program includes "one on one", on-farm education and field research. There are currently 85 tree grower members of Avery County IPM Program. The Program is open to all Christmas tree growers in Avery County. The new members receive this "one on one" education and training in IPM scouting and decision making on their farms, in their own trees. Several newsletters are issued each year as well as Winter and Summer meetings.

The primary goal of IPM is to reduce unnecessary pesticide and fertilizer use. This often reduces monetary costs. Interestingly, tree quality is usually increased in the process. This occurs because pest and fertility monitoring is required and management treatments are made more effectively.

Ground cover management is focused upon to prevent erosion, protect the quality of the soil, and provide natural habitat for beneficial insects. From this effort natural resources are conserved and tree production becomes sustainable for the future of family farms.

After about three years of working together in partnership with Doug Hundley, Program technician, the grower often feels ready to go it on their own; practice IPM on their farms with their new skills. In the end, the tree grower learns more about the tree insects, the weeds, the fertility, and the growth characteristics of his trees than he ever expected.

Since the beginning growers have always remained on the program after the initial phase; thus creating the term, Graduate member. The graduates often stay involved in the On-Farm research projects undertaken by the IPM Program Research Group. They also continue to share valuable pest and management observations. At this date we have about 75 graduate members and 10 newer members.

IPM practices developed and field tested by members of the program are shared with all the tree growers in the County through general Christmas tree educational meetings and workshops. These meetings are provided by Jerry Moody, Avery County Extension Agent with Christmas tree responsibilities.

This is a public/private organization. Grower members contribute to the Program through annual dues and the County of Avery covers the remainder of the cost. All the member growers contribute much by way of the on-farm field research projects and the cooperative sharing of pest observations discussed earlier. The innovative growers in this IPM Program regularly give back to their tree industry through the Extension Center. Doug Hundley, the field technician and Program leader, serves as the "hub" of the information and the organization.

The Avery County IPM Program is open to all Christmas tree growers in Avery County. If you are interested in knowing more about the Avery County IPM Program please call the NC Cooperative Extension Service, Avery County Center, at 828-733-8270 or e-mail doug_hundley@ncsu.edu

All Christmas tree notes linked to this County web site are pertinent to IPM practices in Fraser fir. Some are of special significance and include:

• Scouting Fraser Fir in North Carolina AG-573
• IPM Checklist in Established Fraser Fir Christmas Tree Plantations CTN 032
• Pesticides and Wildlife in Christmas Trees
• National Integrated Pest Management Network and in the Southern Region