Where are Christmas trees obtained from?

 

The Christmas tree custom started after World War II and it was then adopted by a lot of people. The thousands of trees sold before the holidays every year are not cut from the forests of Greece. A small part is imported from other countries, but the greatest part is produced in private artificial plantations created for this particular purpose.

 

Is there fir tree cultivation in Halkidiki?

 

In the municipal department of Taxiarhis, which belongs to the municipality of Polygyros, the main agricultural activity is fir-tree cultivation in order to sell it as a Christmas tree. This is due to the fact that Taxiarhis is situated in a quite high altitude that makes any other type of cultivation impossible or unprofitable because of the climate conditions. It is worth mentioning that at least 75% of the national demand for Christmas trees is covered by the area of Taxiarhis.

 

Why is fir-tree cultivation important in Halkidiki?

 

From all the above we realise that fir-tree cultivation is of great financial significance for the village of Taxiarhis as it provides the residents with an additional income, which is not contemptible for the their financial standards. We should not fail to mention that there is also fir-tree cultivation in other areas of northern Halkidiki.

 

Apart from the financial significance for the area, fir-tree cultivation is also an important environmentally-friendly activity because:

 

   * After its use the discarded product is easily assimilated by the environment, contrary to the synthetic Christmas trees.

   * Areas that would otherwise remain uncultivated and exposed to erosion are now green thus preventing erosion and floods.

   * It offers an indirect protection to the forests since farmers in the process of protecting their cultivations from fires act preventively and repressively against forest fires.

 

Considering the above, we can see that fir-tree cultivation is very important for the area as it preserves tradition, protects the environment, supplements the residents' income and contributes to forest protection.