Lower Austria’s Christmas tree sales set to begin in December

Christmas tree growers in Lower Austria are making final preparations for farm-gate sales, which begin in early December, ORF reported. The first official trees, including one on Rathausplatz, the town hall square in St Pölten, have already been put up.

About 2.8 million households in Austria choose a natural tree for Christmas each year, according to the Association of Christmas Tree Growers. While Germany is seeing a trend towards artificial trees, demand for natural trees in Austria is rising slightly.

Dry months have affected Christmas tree plantations, particularly newly planted trees. Fir trees, which have deep roots, fared better. The association, which represents about 1,000 growers in Lower Austria, expects enough high-quality trees to be available for every household. Growers produce about 1.1 million trees a year, and the recent trend towards Nordmann firs is expected to continue.

Prices are expected to range from 8 to 16 euros per linear metre for spruce trees and 18 to 40 euros for firs. Farm-gate sales start in early December, while sales stands in towns and cities open on 12 December. Trees grown in Lower Austria can be identified by a blue-and-yellow origin ribbon.