Hurricane Helene impacts Nashville Christmas tree lots

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Many of North Carolina’s Christmas tree farms, which supply trees to Midstate sellers, were hit hard by Hurricane Helene. The storm’s impact is felt locally, including at Sovine’s Christmas Trees, a long-standing tree lot in Nashville.

Sovine’s sources trees from eight different farms in Eastern North Carolina and East Tennessee. Many of these farms were significantly impacted by the storm, for better and for worse.

“The more ground water the trees can take up before they’re cut, the better it is for the tree, and it’s been a good year for that,” said Jim Sovine, owner of Sovine’s Christmas Trees. “Unfortunately, they got a lot of rain–too much rain–which we know causes devastating effects.

“Most of the farms that we get our trees from were impacted in some way, some worse than others,” Sovine said. “Some lost several thousand trees. Some lost several hundred.”

The losses mean Sovine’s won’t have about 70% of their usual 14 to 15-foot tree inventory — a size that is typically in high demand.

“I was counting on one farm for those trees, and they had pretty significant damage in those fields,” Sovine said.

However, he said he’s not worried about that deterring customers.

“Like everything else, people will adapt and step down a foot or two,” Sovine said.

Additionally, while inflation has driven up costs for suppliers, Sovine said they are committed to keeping prices stable for customers.

“Most families are still struggling right now with the price of everything,” he said, “so we just felt it would be best just to keep things as they were.”

A portion of Sovine’s sales goes directly to the Nashville Kiwanis Club. This year, Sovine’s will be contributing to relief efforts in the areas of North Carolina impacted by Helene, supporting the communities where they source their trees.

The lot can be found at 97 White Bridge Road in Nashville, across from Target.

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