NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1975 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 912

HOUSE BILL 386

 

 

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR RESEARCH STUDIES ON GENETIC IMPROVEMENT, CULTURAL AND PEST CONTROL PRACTICES, MECHANIZATION AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN CHRISTMAS TREE PRODUCTION SO AS TO INCREASE NORTH CAROLINA FARM INCOME FROM CHRISTMAS TREES.

 

Whereas, Christmas trees are an important and rapidly growing source of farm income in North Carolina, estimated cash income to producers having increased from $1,400,000 in 1970 to $3,000,000 in 1974; and

Whereas, there is a large market potential for natural Christmas trees in North Carolina and nearby market areas which is now being filled largely with inferior natural trees produced in the Northern States and Canada; and

Whereas, North Carolina produced Christmas trees are of superior quality and could capture a large share of this market, thereby increasing by many fold income to North Carolina producers, if production practices were improved and costs lowered so as to be more price competitive; and

Whereas, the Fraser fir Christmas tree is considered the finest Christmas tree grown, and North Carolina has almost all of the natural Fraser fir range, and therefore has the greatest potential of all the states for large-scale commercial production of these trees; and

Whereas, the mountain counties, in particular, will benefit greatly from a growing Christmas tree industry; and

Whereas, realization of this potential for an improved competitive position for North Carolina produced Christmas trees depends critically upon the development through research of Christmas trees genetically superior in quality, growth rate and pest resistance on the development, cultural and pest control practices which enhance quality and reduce production costs and on mechanization of pruning and other production operations so as to reduce labor requirements and reduce costs; and

Whereas, the resources needed for these specialized research studies exceed presently available resources in terms of manpower, equipment and operating funds of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station; Now, therefore,

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1.  There is hereby appropriated from the General Fund of the State to the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for the 1976-1977 fiscal year for the general purposes set forth in the preamble to this act.

Sec. 2.  The above-named agency of the State shall handle and coordinate the administration and expenditure of all funds appropriated by this act and all expenditures made from funds appropriated by this act and for the purposes herein designated shall be accounted for and reported to the fiscal and financial system of the agency to which the appropriation is made as set forth herein.

Sec. 3.  This act shall become effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 26th day of June, 1975.