Swiss buy 1.7 million Christmas trees every year

Popular tradition: 1.7 million Christmas trees sold every year Keystone-SDA

For many Swiss, the Christmas tree is part of the Christmas tradition. According to the Forest Owners Association, around 1.7 million Christmas trees are sold every year. The Nordmann fir is by far the most popular.

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When buying a Christmas tree, two-thirds of all Swiss people opt for a Nordmann fir, Benno Schmid, head of communications at the Swiss Forest Owners’ Association, told the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA. Spruce and blue spruce are also popular, the association wrote in a press release at the beginning of December.

Until they are sold, the trees spend around ten years in Christmas tree plantations. There, they are cultivated under professional care into slender and beautifully shaped trees, the forest owners’ association said. The appropriate seeds are needed for this. While the seeds of spruce and blue spruce come from Switzerland, those of the Nordmann fir are often imported from the Caucasus.

Regardless of the origin of the seeds, trees from IG Suisse Christbaum, the umbrella organisation of Swiss Christmas tree producers, are labelled with a Swiss seal of quality if they meet the association’s quality and environmental standards.

Adapted from German by AI/ts

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