The first Christmas trees are up: Sales start in November
Many Christmas tree stands will be set up in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern before the first Advent on December 3. "There are around 65 this year," said Benedikt Schneebecke, head of the Ostseetanne Christmas tree plantation in Marlow (Vorpommern-Rügen district). All the stands should be in place by November 30. "Prices will remain at last year's level of 22 euros per meter on average," he said. 85 percent of the business at his plantation is accounted for by Nordmann fir.
A Christmas tree around 15 meters high has been standing on the Alter Markt in the Hanseatic city of Stralsund since Tuesday. In Rostock, the tree will be put up on November 16. This year it will be a sequoia tree. These are rarely found in people's living rooms. However, these trees, which belong to the cypress family, would probably also be too expensive. On the Internet, they are usually offered in pots for over 100 euros per meter.
The Nordmann fir is cheaper, although the Federal Association of Christmas Tree and Cut Greenery Producers estimates the price range this year at around 21 to 29 euros per running meter. Last year, a meter cost one euro less at its peak. The Ostseetanne company has around 200 hectares of Christmas trees, from 25-centimeter-high seedlings to trees over 2.5 meters tall.
This summer, the new plantings had to be watered every day for around three weeks due to the drought. But now the budding Christmas trees are doing well, says Schneebecke. Around 140,000 new trees are planted every year.
The trees that will be in people's living rooms at Christmas this year were planted around 2013. An average Nordmann fir is planted when it is around three years old and then stands in the plantation for another six to eight years before it is cut down for Christmas. It then has a height of around 175 centimetres.
Customs inspectors may need to check the origin of the imported Christmas trees to ensure they meet environmental regulations. The weather in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern this year has been crucial for the growth of the Christmas trees, with the need for daily watering during the drought this summer.
Source: www.dpa.com
