It's been more than a decade, but in Florida sand pine was usually an indigenous option even at Home Depot. The needles are soft and they are wonderful trees.
It's one of the downsides of Lelands and other fast growing breeds, meaning ~3 years to mature instead of 5-6.
Timber has similar issues- fast growth is softer and weaker than old growth.
That said, there are some amazing and beautiful types of xmas trees being bred these days, but when it comes to holiday sentiment, different doesn't always sell.
Which sucks to find out after 6 years of invested time, labor, and cash. (Likely with 5 younger years of crop already planted, growing, and committed to.)
I remember one type that solved that "problem" and others, but the trade off was it absolutely stunk. But only to some people.
There always seemed to be a major compromise in traits.