North Carolina Christmas tree farmers see big boost in sales from people wanting to help post-Helene [Video]

NEWLAND, N.C. (WBTV) – Parts of Western North Carolina are seeing slow improvement about two months after homes and lives were wrecked in the floodwaters of Hurricane Helene.

But now, with the holiday season right around the corner, people are stepping up to ensure growers are able to make it through the tough times.

“The landscape in Western North Carolina has been changed forever in my lifetime,” said farmer Larry Smith.

Smith has been a farmer on top of the mountain growing Christmas trees for close to five decades. It’s been a family business for generations.

But when Helene came through, it not only wiped out much of the crop but also the economy and infrastructure.

“The roads are getting there, some are still closed even today,” Smith told WBTV’s Ron Lee.

—> From October: ‘Changed the landscape forever’: Avery County Christmas tree farmers hit hard by Helene

Smith counts himself as one …