Customs - More organic Christmas trees: demand higher than supply
A good half of the more than one million Christmas trees in Rhineland-Palatinate living rooms come from special plantations in Germany and abroad. This is according to the answer given by Environment Minister Katrin Eder to a parliamentary question from her Green Party colleague Fabian Ehmann. However, these plantations do not always meet the high ecological standards. Although Rhineland-Palatinate, which is particularly rich in forests, is a pioneer in organic Christmas trees, the supply of firs and spruces with the FSC label from the state forest is still well below demand.
The market for certified Christmas trees has only developed since 2016 on the initiative of Landesforsten on behalf of the ministry, writes Eder. At that time, there were just under 500, but since then supply (more than 2000 in 2022) and demand have increased every year.
"If 20 to 30 percent of citizens ask for organic Christmas trees, that's 200,000 to 300,000 trees," the minister calculates. "This year, around 3,000 will be offered from the state forest, and in a few years' time, when all Christmas tree plantations in the state forest are certified, there will be around 10,000." The goal is 50,000 to 100,000 organic trees per year.
"With the new addition of the Kastellaun forestry office, 14 forestry offices in the state now offer FSC-certified trees," praised Ehmann, the parliamentary group's forestry policy spokesperson. He called on private producers to imitate the project from the state forest.
"Due to the positive experiences in Rhineland-Palatinate, FSC Germany began developing a nationwide Christmas tree standard from the Rhineland-Palatinate FSC Christmas tree standard at the beginning of 2020," Eder's response states. However, the draft is currently still awaiting approval from FSC International.
What is the FSC label anyway? It "certifies that the Christmas tree has been grown without mineral fertilizers and without the use of chemical weedkillers and insecticides," writes Eder. "In addition, FSC Christmas trees are only planted in small areas, not in monocultures, but in mixtures with other tree species, bushes and shrubs."
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- Eder mentioned that despite Rhineland-Palatinate being a leader in organic Christmas trees, the demand for FSC-certified trees from the state forest significantly outpaces the supply.
- Fabian Ehmann, a Green Party colleague, inquired about the number of organic Christmas trees in Rhineland-Palatinate, and Eder revealed that the certified trees from the state forest are still insufficient to meet the needs.
- Eder pointed out that each year, the market for FSC-certified Christmas trees has grown since 2016, with the number of trees available rising from just under 500 in 2016 to over 2000 in 2022.
- Ehmann commended the state for offering FSC-certified trees from 14 forestry offices, encouraging private producers to follow in their footsteps to meet the growing needs for organic Christmas trees.
- Eder noted that FSC Germany began developing a nationwide Christmas tree standard in 2020, based on the Rhineland-Palatinate FSC Christmas tree standard, hoping to fulfill the rising demand for organic trees and protect the environment.
Source: www.stern.de
