How green your leaves are

The Christmas tree is a German invention - and in this country extremely popular. Nowhere is the Per-capita tree consumption is not as big as here. It is, as the dryness of this summer would have gone on in the industry without consequences is over. the By Thomas Hahn Thomas Hahn

After graduating high school, 1991 internship in the SZ-local editorial office of Starnberg. Civil service in the City hospital of Fürth as a nurse on the ward for Internal medicine. Studying theatre Sciences in Munich and Canterbury. 1995 internship in the SZ-sports editors. After that, work as a freelance Journalist, primarily for the SZ. Since 1. January 1999, SZ editor. For over 15 years for the sports Department in Munich, since 1. October 2014 as Northern Germany correspondent in Hamburg.

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The Christmas tree in front of the Reichstag is a spruce from the vicinity of Altenau, in the Harz mountains. 62 years old, five tons, 24 meters high. You are the expression of your life protected in the Kellwassertal and survived the crises of this year. Neither the January storm Friederike still the summer drought damaged its beauty. As the staff of the local forest office. Clausthal cut down the spruce tree that held a crane and put it later, gently, on a low-loader. And now she is so in the light of jewelry in front of the Berlin Parliament and a proclamation of the power of the Christian culture.

The Christmas tree is a German invention. 16. Century, it spread from the Guild houses of urban families in the whole world. Today, you can argue about whether the Christmas tree is more a Symbol of the advent, Commerce or the Christmas holidays. But popular he is, that is clear, especially in Germany. Nowhere is the Pro-head-Christmas tree-consumption as high as here. According to the Federal Association of the Christmas tree - and cut green growers from the industry is between 23 and 25 million trees per year. And managing Director Martin Rometsch reports, the supply of Nordmann firs, and other popular Rooms conifers was also this year again lush: "There is no shortage."

The country is set for almost trees with Christmas. In many cities, trees such as the ambassadors of their origin, the forests are adorned with giant. Thuringia, forest Minister, Birgit Keller (Left) was last week officially that an approximately 80-year-old spruce from Flea-Schmalkalden Seligenthal in a circle-Meiningen, the coveted space in front of the Brandenburg gate is allowed to occupy.

It is, as the dryness of this summer would have gone over to the industry without consequences. Rometsch said, even the hot summer, have operated some of the trees in the 2500 Growing good, because less moisture means less fungal growth. "The insects were also restrained." Drought as a factor of success? Of course not. The companies had to more water, especially the smaller young plants from the nursery, with their thin roots. Who didn't, had serious failures. "The seedlings are dried up in the individual Farms of up to 100 per cent," says Rometsch.

The spruce from the Kellwassertal is now in front of the Reichstag in Berlin.

(photo: Reuters)

In the lower Saxony state forests, the home of the rich spruce tags, there are, however, no complaints because of the drought, at least when it comes to Christmas business. "For us, niche products are Christmas trees," explains spokesman Mathias Aßmann. The foresters are mainly involved in wood production. You can needle trees for a long time close to each other to grow, to cast off the shadows of their crowns, the lower Branches. So, knotless wood. Pretty Christmas trees in the forest are mostly young random plants, the wegmüssten anyway. Or old trees that have always had a lot of light and, therefore, their full needle dress kept. The Reichstag spruce from the Kellwassertal, which thrived for decades before the Christmas business called you.