From the onset of Christmas ads to mince pies on shelves, it’s safe to say Christmas has officially begun, which means it’s time to start thinking about the Christmas tree! As the sun rises on the start of the Christmas tree harvest in Aberdeenshire, a specialist team of growers begin the merry task of preparing the nation’s trees for sale in B&Q stores across the country.
The harvest sees a quarter of a million trees harvested in a sustainable way, with more trees planted than are cut down.
Whilst the first arrival marks the start of the season, the harvest continues throughout November, with work peaking as the nation starts to reach for the mince pies! The Nordman Fir trees typically arrive in B&Q stores within two weeks of being cut down – perfectly fresh for shoppers looking to bring the magic home this season.
A story that starts well before the trees are collected from store, for many the journey of their Christmas tree is a tale untold:
- Once planted, trees take between six to ten years to grow. You can tell how old a Christmas tree is approximately by adding two years to the height in foot, for example, a 7ft tree would be around 9 years old
- To make sure they always look their finest when they arrive in store, all trees are left in the cold when cut down
- An insider tip! Trees start ageing as soon as they warm up, meaning trees cut at the start of the harvest will look just as fresh as those cut in December if kept outside, meaning customers should shop early for their pick of the crop!
- No tree goes to waste - if a tree isn’t quite ready (B&Q calls these ‘naughty trees’) it is kept planted for another year and nurtured until it is ready for sale in store
Kam Dhillon, B&Q’s Christmas Category Manager, explains: “It’s our mission at B&Q to help shoppers bring the magic home at Christmas, offering a variety of sustainably grown Christmas trees. What’s more, all of our trees are grown almost entirely in the UK, meaning customers can enjoy the festivities with peace of mind.
The annual harvest truly is a magical time of year, with the trees carefully nurtured for up to a decade until they are ready to fulfil their Christmas destiny.”
B&Q’s range of real Christmas trees are arriving in store now, and start from £19. To find out more about B&Q’s magical range of Christmas trees, real and artificial, and decorations log onto www.diy.com.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
Christmas trees are grown like other agricultural crops and new trees are planted to replace those that have been cut, enabling the long growing cycle of six to ten years to continue.
Each year the number of trees planted by B&Q’s main supplier in Aberdeenshire is greater than the number harvested to ensure that the approach to sourcing real Christmas trees is responsible and forest-friendly.
