That familiar fragrance at the corner of West 15^th and North Pierce streets means Boy Scout Troop 99 is selling Christmas trees.

For many area residents, buying a Christmas tree from the Scouts is a tradition. The Scouts, sponsored by Washington’s First United Methodist Church, began selling the North Carolina-grown trees Wednesday. The Scouts, after enjoying Thanksgiving, resume sales of the Fraser firs Friday at the lot across from East Coast Wings.

The trees, delivered Tuesday afternoon, range in size from 4 feet tall to a little more than10 feet tall. In price, they range from $50 to $120, according to Aaron Carrow, an assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 99. The lot is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 9 p.m. Sales continue until the trees sell out.

“Last year, we sold out in 10 days,” Carrow said. “We bought a few more (this year); we want to sell out.”

The troop has a new Christmas tree supplier this year. Its former supplier, Harry Yates’ Christmas tree farm, retired after last year’s Christmas tree season, Carrow noted. “From what we can tell, they’re big, quality trees,” he said. “We’ve got 235, total.”

Carrow continued: “We unload them, trim them, load them (in a customer’s vehicle), and, if you’ve got a stand, we’ll stick the stand on for your and get you good to go.”

This year, Christmas trees won’t be the only things sold at the lot. “We’ve got chili on Friday for lunch, in addition to the trees,” Carrow said.

Scouts work at the lot, doing various tasks such trimming lower branches from the trees to improve the trees’ appearance. They use the money earned by working at the lot to pay for activity fees and summer camp.

North Carolina ranks second in the nation in live Christmas tree harvested annually, and it produces 19 percent of live Christmas trees sold in the nation, according to the N.C. Christmas Tree Association in Boone. Fraser firs represent more than 98 percent of all Christmas tree species grown in North Carolina. The state has about 1,300 growers producing Fraser firs on about 40,000 acres.

The Fraser fir, according to area Christmas-tree sellers, is the preferred tree bought by area consumers. Other species sold for use as Christmas trees include white pine, Virginia pine and Norway spruce, according to the N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.