Fraser fir tree species. Growing and harvesting this species for Christmas trees and boughs is a multimillion-dollar business in the southern Appalachians. North Carolina produces the majority of Fraser fir Christmas trees. It requires from 7 to 10 years in the field to produce a high tree. In 2005, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation making the Fraser fir the official Christmas tree of North Carolina. Fraser fir The Fraser fir ("Abies fraseri") is a species of fir native to the Appalachian Mountains of the Southeastern United States. "Abies fraseri" is closely related to balsam fir ("Abies balsamea"), of which it
Henry Bloom Noble finding work as a customs official. His first connection with Douglas was due to his association with Alexander Spittall, father of James Spittall, a Douglas advocate. The elder Spittall was a wine and spirits merchant, whose principal place of business was Whitehaven, Cumbria, although he had a branch established in Douglas. Noble was employed by Spittall as a clerk, rising to the position of manager in 1835, moving to Douglas with his mother. The Nobles took residence in a house belonging to Spittall on the south side of St Barnabas' Square. Noble did not stay in the employ of Spittall