Hurricane Helene's path of destruction in the mountains of North Carolina devastated one of the region's biggest industries, Christmas tree farming.

Ali Rogan has the story of one family operation that overcame obstacles to get its crop to market, including one special tree that ended up in a special White House.

It has a great color. I think it's lush, and it's a nice-looking tree.

Standing 20 feet tall and 12 feet wide, this Fraser fir tree grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains

on the Cartner family farm.

Mom and dad started it in the 50s.

Dad, some other pioneers, searched out Christmas trees as an alternative, better cash crop.

Trees like this take a generation to grow, destined to be cut down.

On this 500-acre farm that Sam Cartner runs with his brothers, it's always

bittersweet.

It does strike a cord after you've harvested the trees and all you see are stumps.

You have to stop and remember what that tree is symbolizing and what it's doing. That tree

is going to a family where they can experience family time and joy.

They can have faith, hope, and love.

This year, faith, hope, and love where all some neighbors had left after Hurricane Helene hit.

The first time in my lifetime that I have seen mudslides on the farm or any farms.

We've lost about 6,000 trees across our farm,

and it looks just like those areas over there that may be about 3,000 to 4,000 in that one spot.

Barren hillsides show where saplings should be growing,

but it wasn't just trees that were lost, so too were lives and livelihoods.

Everyone's heard about all the damage and devastation and horrific events.

And we've just experienced such great generosity from people all over the United States that have given supplies and water and their time to come in

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