North Carolina’s Christmas tree industry is already getting ready to meet those impacts. Immigration policy reform would affect the labor pipeline that’s so crucial to the supply chain’s success. The H-2A visa program, which allows for temporary agricultural workers, issued visas to 318,000 workers in the 2024 fiscal year. The state is continuing an arduous recovery from the recent destruction of Hurricane Helene, the fifth named storm in 2024, which made landfall in September 2024. On one hand, industry leaders and workers are concerned about a shortage of laborers to fulfill growing demand.
Wolf Creek Tree Farm
Located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, this family-run operation has been growing evergreens since 1949. Since the mid-1980s, they’ve been deeply involved in the H-2A program. Renee Beutell, the daughter of the founders and now the current president, told us that a committed work force is key. She encourages these workers to get their paperwork in order before they leave the farm. This counsel reminds us all of the unknowns that immigrants faced throughout the Trump administration.
These policy changes address more than just labor availability. They shape how much the industry benefits economies. In 2022, North Carolina’s economy got a big boost as more than three million Christmas trees brought in more than $144 million in sales. Incredibly, almost one in four Christmas trees sold throughout the United States originated from this state.
The Need for Workers
The labor needs for North Carolina’s Christmas tree industry far outstrip the available domestic workforce, especially during the pinnacle of their harvest season. Leticia Zavala, co-coordinator of El Futuro es Nuestro, one of the organizations supporting the strike, warns that as many as 4,000 workers should be employed for maximum production. Today, the H-2A program is the biggest temporary visa program in the country. It represents an important band-aid for thousands of farms that rely on predictable seasonal labor.
New immigration policy changes have created a deep level of uncertainty, one which endangers to upend this essential supply chain. “There’s a lot of concern, a lot of uncertainty,” Zavala stated. Workers like Nahuel Hernández Nabor, who has traveled from Tlaxcala, Mexico to North Carolina for 26 years, express their commitment but their apprehension regarding wage cuts and potential barriers to entry.
“If it’s not worth it, then we’re not going to come.” – Nahuel Hernández Nabor
The backbreaking, repetitive manual labor workers must do in the Christmas tree industry is grueling. That worry was underscored by Marianne Martinez, the CEO of Vecinos, with one simple statement. Physical strain is a notable barrier among western North Carolina’s immigrant workforce. The need for robust healthcare services further underscores the importance of supporting these laborers who contribute significantly to the local economy.
Economic Impact
North Carolina’s Christmas tree industry is of great importance to North Carolina’s overall economy. It promotes economic stability for families on the other side in Mexico. A sizable share of these workers remit a portion of their earnings home while spending the remainder locally. This double economic hit gives a sense of just how interconnected these communities have grown to be.
We’re not just an economic pillar for Mexico, but the United States,” one worker said. That’s because half of what we’re reimbursed we quickly remit to Mexico, and the other half gets spent in our communities. The deeper truth is that when our wage is reduced, sure – we feel hurt, we feel insulted.
Employers in this sector reap eighteen billion dollars in benefit while paying virtually nothing for the labor they receive through the H-2A program. In fact, it saves them as much as $2.5 billion per year. After all, if wage cuts prevent talented, qualified workers from moving to North Carolina, businesses won’t be able to find the workers they need to stay in business themselves.
“It wouldn’t be good business for them to start over with people they have to train from zero.” – Ceballos
Hearing from both employers and employees, a common fear was expressed about the future of this important industry.
Living Conditions and Community Support
Workers within the Christmas tree industry travel and often are housed in employer-provided housing. While this arrangement fosters a community experience for the transient workers, it brings to light concerns over their housing and lack of support available to them. Employers would need to provide amenities like laundry facilities or trips to laundromats and grocery stores once a week.
It is through the collective efforts of organizations akin to Vecinos that we can push to ensure all workers have access to free and comprehensive healthcare and supportive services. Martinez stressed that without access to such services, a larger share of workers would be unable to withstand the physical toll exacted by their occupations.
Last week, Nabor described the intense work schedule: “Last week, we were working from seven in the morning to eight at night.” Such itineraries highlight both the commitment of these workers and the grueling physical labor they too often have to endure on the job.