The perfect Christmas tree does exist. But it won’t be ready until 2036.

In the future, his annual search may not be so tedious, thanks to researchers at North Carolina State University’s Christmas Tree Genetics Program, who have spent decades developing what they call elite Christmas trees.

Let’s face it: most Christmas trees have their flaws. Some are disheveled and bald. Some have unruly branches and playful angles. Others leave behind thorny pine needles and are often the curious targets of overzealous felines.

Justin Whitehill, director of the Christmas Tree Genetics Program, said the researchers’ goal was twofold: to create a tree so beautiful and hassle-free that it would convince artificial tree fanatics to switch to real trees; is to help growers who maintain Christmas trees. $2 billion industry.

“What we’re doing is using genetics to improve Christmas tree characteristics to make the lives of consumers and growers better,” Whitehill said. The focus is on three main characteristics: growth, needle holding and shape. But we are also working around sustainability, making trees more climate resilient.

Robert Coulter, who has been selling Christmas trees for Gheens Trees in Washington and Maryland since 2013, said these features are often the focus of customers’ attention.

He said shoppers often ask how long the trees live, whether branches break and how quickly they shed their needles.

In fact, a lot of people come in and say, oh, the needle is dropping. We’d rather not have that. Kurt said we’d rather buy a fake tree.

Fraser firs are the most popular each season, he said, because customers want tall, wide trees. Perfect for more decorations and lights. Coulter said the trees tend to sell quickly. Other customers look for shorter trees to fit into smaller homes or apartments, or for stronger-smelling trees such as balsam fir.

“I just try to make sure people leave here with a nice tree and a smile,” Coulter said.

Although the concept of genetically modifying Fraser firs may conjure up images of scientists in a laboratory, the process is more natural. Whitehill said it’s the same thing humans have been doing for thousands of years, which is taking certain traits and interbreeding them to eventually develop an organism with a desired look or aesthetic.

In other words: the same process we use to get a Chihuahua from a wild wolf.

The Christmas tree project began in the late 1990s when those involved in the North Carolina project began searching for the best Fraser firs in North Carolina.With its excellent needle retention, conical shape, and strong branches, the Appalachian In fact, the Christmas tree bringing joy to the White House this year is an 18-foot-tall Fraser fir from Fleetwood, North Carolina.

So how do you make the classic Christmas tree perfect?

Whitehill said we sifted through 30,000 wild trees from the highest peaks of the mountains in western North Carolina and then whittled the 30,000 trees down to the best 25.The sample is 25 Lose the fewest number of needles, have the densest foliage, and grow fastest, with only 1% of their needles expected to be lost after reaching the ideal height of six feet in about six to seven years.

The key to choosing a White House Christmas tree is height, sightlines and light

To create the trees, scientists used a technique called grafting, fusing roots from 1,000 other trees with cuttings from 25 samples to ensure elite Fraser fir genes were expressed at the top of the trees.

In 1999, the first generation of Perfect Christmas trees began growing on a 6-acre plot of land in Ashe County, North Carolina. Even though 24 years have passed, the first generation of Christmas trees is not quite ready for the market.

Whitehill said you have to look at Christmas trees like people. Their life span is 80 to 100 years, or even longer. They take an average of eight to ten years to grow to harvestable height. It takes decades for them to reproduce. They don’t start producing cones until the cone trees are 20 to 25 years old.

In practical terms, Whitehill said, that means no Christmas trees will be picked and cleaned until fall 2026. Growers will then be able to start sowing the seeds around February next year and grow them in the greenhouse for a year and then in the field for six to seven years until they reach their optimal height.

“So my hope is that by 2036, the Christmas trees developed in our project will be available to consumers,” Whitehill said. That’s the essence of Christmas tree games. Unfortunately, it’s been a long time.

While this may mean that people won’t be able to buy the perfect cookie-cutter Christmas tree for at least the next decade, there’s still something to be said for the hunting that exists today.

For shopper Langu, who likens searching for a Christmas tree to shopping for a wedding dress, the process of picking out the perfect tree can be grueling. He said he spends hours each year searching for just the right lights to decorate his 15-year collection of white lamps and ornaments, but he loves it.

“I like opportunities like this: not knowing what you’re going to get and having to go find it,” he said.

Last week at Dan and Bryan Trees, another shopper, Karen Donfried, asked for help finding a full, triangular tree six to eight feet tall. She and her husband always buy a real Christmas tree so their home will be filled with fragrance during the holidays.

With the help of tree farm staff, they landed on an 8-foot tall tree. White fir.

Alas! exclaimed Don Fried, 60, as the tree was pulled out of its original position. This is it.

Within a few hours, she had it sitting in a corner of her home, with a window on one side and a bookshelf on the other.

“We have high ceilings, so it fills the space nicely,” she said. And you can put more lights, you can put in all the decorations.