Every year, British people spend £1billion buying Christmas Trees (CT) the most popular variety being Nordman Fir (NF) native of Balkans but widely grown in Scotland for British market. Overall Europe buys 100 million trees for festive season.
The average height of NF when harvested is 6 feet. It takes 7 years to reach this height, growing at 6 to 8 inches a year. This variety is popular, as it has attractive dark green, glossy needles which does not drop off readily, does not injure children as needles are soft and rounded off at the edge.
Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband first displayed CT in Windsor Caste in 1841, gift from German Royalty. The tradition became instantly popular with British people. few decades back plastic trees were replacing real trees, under pressure from nature lovers, Green Lobby. ( GL) But like plastic football pitches, the trends soon reversed back to natural home grown trees.
No wonder GL is horrified at the waste of natural resources when the land could be better utilised for agriculture, forestation to help feed the hungry and stabilise climate, as billions of acres worldwide are devoted to growing CT.
Although CT gives pleasure to children and illuminates millions of homes, this is one tradition I hope will not be in ascendancy for the good of Mother Earth.
Kumudini Valambia
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