European cities spruce up for the holidays – with PEFC-certified Christmas trees

20 December 2019 News

Christmas is nearly here and magnificent Christmas trees are lighting up city centres and spreading seasonal splendour. Several European cities celebrate Christmas in sustainable style by choosing PEFC-certified firs and spruces as their Christmas trees.

In Italy, the festive season kicked off with the lighting of PEFC-certified Christmas trees in several public places.

Prominent examples include the Quirinal Palace, the presidential estate of Castel Porziano and the Chamber of Deputies in Rome, as well as St. Peter's Square in the Vatican.

This year’s tree in the Vatican comes from the Asiago plateau in Northern Italy, an area that was heavily affected by the destructive storm ‘Vaia’ last year. The 26-metre-high tree was donated by the PEFC-certified Consortium of Civic Uses of Rotzo-Pedescala and San Pietro.

Heading north from Italy, a 130-year-old and 32-metre-tall spruce 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 the Pinzgau region in Salzburg. The tree was inaugurated in November by Vienna’s Mayor Michael Ludwig and representatives from Salzburg.

An iconic gift for London and festive splendour in Germany

Also at Trafalgar Square in London, a PEFC-certified Christmas tree takes centre stage. The Christmas tree is an annual gift from Norway to the UK.

Oslo has sent a tree to London every year since 1947 to commemorate Britain’s support during World War II when the Norwegian government and royal family lived in exile in London during Norway’s occupation.

The 21-metre-tall and 85-year-old Norwegian spruce was harvested in a PEFC-certified forest just outside of Oslo.

Sustainable festive splendour also came to the Hessen state parliament, as PEFC Germany’s regional working group for Hessen handed over a festively decorated Nordmann fir to the president, Boris Rhein. 

The tree adorns the foyer of the parliament, putting the members, employees and visitors into the Christmas mood.

Photo credits: PEFC Italy, PEFC UK, Hessischer Landtag