AVERY COUNTY, NC (WBTV/Gray News) – North Carolina residents continue to deal with the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene.

Christmas tree farmers are reporting large amounts of crop losses, and while this may not affect the delivery of what’s left to stores, it could take years to recover.

The damage in Avery County can be seen throughout the region.

However, the Avery family farm was hardest hit by the storm, losing more than 60,000 trees.

“All the trees will die,” said farmer Graham Avery.

Avery is just one of many farmers who have worked the land for the past 200 years, a legacy that has been passed down from generation to generation.

The family said the devastation seen after Helene was unprecedented.

“They’re in really bad shape, so we’re trying to figure out how to save it,” Avery said.

Avery, his wife and 6-month-old daughter were home when the storm hit. When Helene arrived, she said they felt an overwhelming urge to escape.

“My wife woke up and said she had a bad feeling,” Avery said.

The family fled before floodwaters from a nearby stream overran the property.

“It was unlike anything we’d ever seen before,” Avery said.

When the waters receded, the family’s 60 to 80,000 trees were destroyed. What the flood left behind made the situation worse as invasive plants poisoned the fertile soil.

Waightstill Avery, Graham Avery’s father, also weathered the storm at his home nearby.

“When the water came over our porch, we knew we were in trouble,” Waightstill Avery said.

He lost not only his crop but almost everything else. The trees alone are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“We lost everything we had. We lost the house, the barn, the office, and of course the woodland,” Waightstill Avery said.

Some trees can be salvaged by using a shaker to remove damaged sections from the stem, and the remaining crop can be turned into tabletop trees or wreaths.

As for what happens next, the entire farm will need to be bulldozed and restarted. However, it may take up to 15 years for them to produce another tree.

“Terrible. It’s a terrible thing to have to go through,” said Graham Avery.

Avery family she offers wreaths and tabletop trees for sale during the holidays and buys rescue gifts as she tries to get her farm back on track.

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