Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05

Preserving What Matters: Dale Cornett Wins Environmental Stewardship Award

Story by Garrett Simmons

As a fifth-generation native to the mountains of western North Carolina, Dale Cornett knows the value of home and family. “Of all the gifts I’ve been given,” he said, “the greatest has been the gift of family.” That is why Cornett is working so hard to preserve the place where he grew up.

In recognition of his efforts, Cornett recently won an Environmental Stewardship Award from the N.C. Christmas Tree Association. Cornett said he is just one of a large number of people who deserve the award. “Christmas tree farmers all over the region are dedicated to developing new, environmentally beneficial growing techniques. The industry is constantly reaching new levels of sustainability, using natural pest control and fewer chemical pesticides,” he explained.

Cornett joined the N.C. Christmas Tree Association in 1985 after working on his father’s tree farm, and in 1991 planted his first crop of 7,000 Christmas trees. He quickly became dedicated to best-management practices, but said he has always been in tune with the environmental impact of farming. “I can remember rolling my toy trucks through the dirt on my grandfather’s farm as a boy,” he said. “I developed an interest early on in the way things grow.”

His homegrown knowledge of the natural process has helped Cornett to determine which farming techniques are the most effective and environmentally sound. “As farmers ourselves, we can actually use researchers’ suggestions to make new improvements. We are constantly testing new ideas,” he said.

One exciting development, he continued, has been the use of white clover in Fraser fir production. Formerly, farmers followed a “bare-ground” practice. Bare-ground farming not only requires the use of chemical treatment to keep the soil free of weeds, but also causes soil to dry and harden, eventually depleting its nutrients. The use of white clover as a cover crop around and between the trees helps maintain a cool, moist soil in which earthworms and microbes thrive. Cornett said, “White clover adds from 50 to 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre, eliminating or reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.”

Farmers have discovered that this environmentally friendly practice is economically beneficial as well, he said. “White clover seed not only costs a fraction of the price of chemical fertilizers, but farmers also need significantly less of it per acre of land,” said Cornett. “It’s basic economics.”

Cornett and other local farmers have also worked closely with David Tucker of the National Resource Conservation Service and Brian Chatham of Watauga Soil & Water to reduce the impact on neighboring land and natural resources. Cornett said, “These agencies help with the development and installation of roads and stream crossings to eliminate or at least minimize runoff and erosion of our streams, creeks and rivers.”

Cornett said he has also received invaluable help from N.C. Cooperative Extension Agent Meghan Baker, Dr. Jill Sidebottom, tree specialist Dr. Jeff Owens, and Brian Davis, Integrated Pest Management technician for Watauga, Ashe and Alleghany counties.

Working with the N.C. Christmas Tree Association has also given Cornett the opportunity to help the High Country in a way that’s equally important to him: giving local property owners the means to keep the land that has been in their family for generations.

“Suppose there is a professor in Raleigh who wants to retire to his family farm, or a woman who is hospitalized in Winston and doesn’t want to resort to selling her land to a developer,” explained Cornett. “By leasing their land to me to grow Christmas trees, they can hold onto their property. I’d much rather see a hillside of Christmas trees than a new development of townhomes.”

Cornett said winning the Stewardship Award was an honor. “It shows that people are paying attention to the environment,” he said. “And farming practices will continue improving as a result.”