A sustainable celebration with PEFC – European cities choose certified Christmas trees

22 December 2021 News

As Christmas is coming closer, magnificent Christmas trees are lighting up city centres and spreading seasonal splendour. Again this year, several European cities have chosen PEFC-certified firs and spruces.

A PEFC-certified Christmas tree takes centre stage at Trafalgar Square in London. The 23 metre Norwegian Spruce tree is around 80 years old and was sourced from a PEFC-certified forest in Maridalen, Oslo.

The tree is a gift from the people of Norway to the people of London to thank them for their support in World War II. It stands as a symbol of long-standing friendship and international cooperation between the two countries.

Our colleagues from PEFC Norway were thrilled to join the traditional felling ceremony. The Lord Mayor of Westminster, the Mayor of Oslo, and local school children, helped to fell the tree.

Certified trees for parliaments, town squares and the Pope

A 130-year-old and 30-metre-tall Christmas tree adorns the town hall square in Vienna, Austria.

Every year since 1959, Austrian federal provinces have sent a Christmas tree as a gift to Vienna. This year’s tree comes from a PEFC-certified forest in Burgenland. The tree was inaugurated in November by Vienna’s Mayor.

Also in Italy, spruces from PEFC-certified forests are the protagonists of an environmentally friendly Christmas.

The Italian President, in keeping with a long-standing tradition, has chosen a certified fir tree for the spaces of his two Roman residences, the Quirinale and the Tenuta di Castelporziano. Also the Chamber of Deputies renewed the tradition of a PEFC-certified Christmas tree.

St. Peter's Square in Vatican City is decorated by a 28-metre spruce from a PEFC-certified forest in Trentino. The inauguration ceremony in Rome was followed by an audience with Pope Francis.

A festively decorated pine tree is spreading its Christmas splendour in the foyer of the Parliament of Hessen, Germany.

The pine tree "is a strong symbol of the indispensable contribution of Hessen's forests to the future," says Detlef Stys, Chairman of the Regional PEFC Working Group Hessen.

"Forest management always has future developments in mind. This is especially true in times when the effects of climate change are clearly visible everywhere, including in the Hessian forest. It is important to make our forest fit for the future with a site-appropriate choice of tree species and responsible forest management."

Photo credits: PEFC Norway, PEFC Italy, Hessischer Landtag