Christmas tree production in Denmark facts for kids

Christmas tree production in Denmark is a big deal! By 2008, Denmark was one of Europe's largest producers of natural Christmas trees, growing around 9 million trees each year. The most popular type of tree grown there is the Nordmann fir. Between 1999 and 2007, the number of trees grown in Denmark jumped from 6-7 million to 9-12 million annually.

Selling Christmas Trees

Most of the Christmas trees grown in Denmark are sent to other countries. The biggest buyer is Germany, but trees also go to Britain, France, and the Netherlands. In 2008, countries buying Danish Christmas trees paid more than before. A 2-meter tall Nordmann fir tree sold in Denmark for about 350 kroner (which was around 47 euros or 59 dollars).

Types of Trees Grown

The Nordmann fir is the most popular type of Christmas tree in Denmark and in most of Europe. Nordmann firs grown in Denmark are known for being very good quality. The head of the Danish Christmas Tree Growers Association even called them the "Rolls-Royce of trees" because they are so special.

In 1999, most of the 6-7 million trees grown in Denmark were Nordmann firs. But they also grew about 1.5 million Norway spruce trees and 300,000 noble fir trees.

How Tree Farming Grew

Christmas tree farming in Denmark really started to grow after World War II. It became much bigger in the 1990s. In 1992, Denmark set a record by harvesting 8 million trees, and 75% of those were sent to other countries.

By 1999, Denmark was Europe's main exporter of natural Christmas trees. That year, they produced between 6 and 7 million trees. Only about 500,000 to 700,000 of these were used in Denmark. The rest were exported, with Germany buying most of them (60-70%).

Between 1999 and 2007, about 4,000 farmers in Denmark grew Christmas trees. Even though the number of farmers stayed the same, the number of trees grown and their total value increased a lot. By 2007, Denmark was harvesting between 10 and 12 million Christmas trees.

Why Some Trees Were Missing

Sometimes, there were fewer tall Christmas trees available in Europe. This happened in 2011 because fewer trees were planted in Denmark, Great Britain, and Ireland around 2004. This was partly because Christmas tree farmers in Denmark and Ireland stopped getting special money (subsidies) from the European Union. This meant there were 3-5 million fewer tall Christmas trees (7-10 feet) available in Europe in 2011.

The number of trees grown in Denmark reached its highest point in 2003-2004, when 14 million Danish Christmas trees were sent to other countries. After the EU stopped giving money to Danish Christmas tree farmers, about 600 farmers stopped growing trees between 2005 and 2007.

In 2005, Denmark was Europe's top producer of Nordmann firs for Christmas trees, growing 8-9 million of them. The total value of all Danish Christmas trees grew from 600-700 million kroner in 1999 to 1.4 billion kroner by 2007. In 2008, about 9 million Danish Christmas trees were expected to be harvested.

Tree Shortages and Price Changes

Since the late 1990s, there have often been reports of Christmas tree shortages in Europe, especially in Great Britain. These shortages were often linked to problems with tree crops in Denmark. When there were fewer trees, their prices often went up a lot.

Between 2005 and 2009, the price of Danish-grown Christmas trees increased by 80 percent!

Reasons for Price Increases

In 2006, the Western Mail newspaper reported a Christmas tree shortage and higher prices in Great Britain. They said it was because of changes in farming rules in Denmark, which caused many Danish tree growers to stop their businesses. Horticulture Week also said that the Europe-wide shortage was due to the end of EU money for farmers in Denmark and too many trees being grown in earlier years. They thought that 30 percent fewer Nordmann firs would be imported from Denmark compared to 2005.

In 2007, The New York Times reported on a Christmas tree shortage affecting Denmark and Europe. They noted a 25 percent price increase for Danish-grown trees. One expert, Claus Jerram Christensen, explained that part of the shortage was because people in Eastern Europe were becoming wealthier and choosing to buy the more expensive Nordmann firs.

In 2008, news sources like Reuters reported shortages and higher prices because fewer trees were produced in Denmark. This was due to too many trees being grown between 1998 and 2004, which made prices drop and caused many Danish tree farms to stop planting.

In 2009, a shortage of Nordmann fir and Norway spruce trees imported into Great Britain was blamed on a weak British pound compared to the euro. Horticulture Week also said that the ongoing shortages in Britain were due to the end of EU money for growers in Denmark and the poor exchange rate.

In 2010, another European tree shortage was reported. The Independent newspaper said it was due to harsh European winters. For Britain, this meant 800,000 fewer Nordmann firs were imported from Denmark and Norway. This shortage led to a 25 percent price increase because there were more people wanting trees than there were trees available, partly due to fewer trees being planted in 2004.

In 2011, a shortage of "tall" trees in Great Britain led The Guardian to report that 40,000 to 50,000 fewer trees were available. This was because fewer trees were planted in 2004, when the EU stopped giving money to Denmark's Christmas tree farmers. Even though Britain received fewer trees from Denmark and Norway in 2011, the shortage didn't affect every part of the country the same way. For example, in Worcestershire, local news reported that while prices had gone up, there seemed to be enough trees available.