Enough New Year trees for everyone: how Belarus grows fir trees without hurting nature

No Belarusian should feel any worry when choosing a New Year tree: they are grown in a way that doesn’t hurt nature. Anastasia Matskevich, the Forestry Ministry press secretary, talked about dedicated forest plantations, what happens to the unsold trees, and why the forest cover in Belarus keeps expanding.

“We set up special plantations to grow trees for the New Year celebrations only. How could anyone say it hurts nature when those trees are specifically grown to be sold?” asked the press secretary.

New Year trees are grown in dedicated areas of the forest, she explained, adding that an approach like that is good for both the economy and the environment. There’s absolutely no harm done to the Belarusian forests when those trees are cut.

But what happens to the trees that remained unsold?

“We follow the consumer demand; we don’t cut everything just for the sake of cutting. If there are some trees left, we hand them over to zoos or other institutions that need them. But there’s always enough trees for everyone,” Ms. Matskevich explained.

Belarus is in the top 10 countries in Europe with the largest forest cover: that’s about a hectare of forest per capita.

“That is rare, few countries can post numbers like that,” said the press secretary.

The forest land to total land ratio in Belarus is 40 percent.

“It took us a long time to reach that level; our forest cover has doubled since the war ended. If cutting New Year trees harmed the nature, the numbers would look completely different,” she emphasised.

According to the press secretary, the belief that forests grow by themselves is erroneous.

“You have to help the forest grow, that’s what foresters’ work is. A good portion of forests today have been planted with human hands,” she added.

Over 36,000 people in Belarus work in the forestry industry, growing our natural wealth every autumn and spring.