Customs - Oh shock, the tree is gone: Christmas tree thefts
They are a symbol of the peaceful Christmas season, but they also attract thieves: Christmas trees have often been stolen in recent weeks. In Elxleben (Sömmerda district), Hildburghausen, Mühlhausen and Sondershausen (Kyffhäuserkreis district), unknown persons have stolen up to 100 Christmas trees, some of which were stored for sale. The police put the value of the stolen trees at around 4650 euros in total. "We have this every year," says Patrick Martin, press spokesman for the regional police department. He assumes that trees that are stolen in large quantities are sold on.
Better security for storage and sales areas
Martin believes that the problem is that the sales areas are not always particularly well secured. Vanessa Lundershausen, press spokeswoman for the Nordhausen state police station, also recommends that trees in open-air storage and sales areas should be fenced in properly and high enough and that they should be illuminated at night. If thieves do strike, the police usually investigate such cases for particularly serious theft.
Theft from the forest less attractive
Martin has seen a significant decline in the theft of trees directly from the forest: "Most people have learned that the precious trees are not necessarily there."
This is also explained by the State Forestry Office, where the theft of Christmas trees does not play a financially significant role. The native Christmas tree species have grown naturally. They "do not achieve the perfect growth of a nurtured and cared-for plantation tree, which then goes to the end customer at a correspondingly high price", Thüringenforst explains. In addition, vehicles transporting the trees in the forest would quickly attract attention. Especially in the run-up to Christmas, hunters are often out and about in the forestry offices in large groups. The theft of trees that have already been felled for sale is also not very attractive: the trees are often only sold in the forestry offices on one day and often in a guarded courtyard.
According to Thüringenforst, around one million Christmas trees are sold in Thuringia every year, of which around 10,000 to 12,000 come from the state forestry office's forests.
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- In the forested areas of Thuringia, such as in Erfurt, the native fir trees are abundant, providing a natural source for the annual sale of over one million Christmas trees.
- During Christmas time, the long-fingered gloves are essential for many in Thuringia, as they navigate the wintry markets in search of the perfect fir tree.
- Despite the abundance of fir trees in the region, criminality has led tocases of Christmas tree thefts in towns like Mühlhausen and Sondershausen.
- The police in Hildburghausen are currently investigating a case where up to 100 Christmas trees were stolen from storage areas, causing losses worth around 4650 euros.
- The Forestry department in Thuringia has noticed a decline in the theft of trees directly from the forest, as people have realized the value and vulnerability of these trees.
- For those traveling through Thuringia, it's important to remember that even in idyllic settings like Erfurt's long-established Christmas market, criminality can still be a concern; always keep an eye on your belongings and follow local safety guidelines.
Source: www.stern.de
