Do not saw the branch on which the Christmas tree sits. At the risk of having the king of forests bought. Is that the message – to Santa Claus? – Signed by French nurseries. It is in fact indirectly aimed at their customers, large distribution brands. This year again, the first fir trees tumbled on the pavement from mid-November. Too early uprooted, they may not last until the festivities.
“We must avoid these early implementation and shift them from eight to fifteen days”, Tance Frédéric Naudet, owner of Naudet nurseries, in the Morvan, and president of the French association of the natural Christmas tree (AFSSN) . He does not hesitate to intoxicate the distributors. According to him, the festive tree should not happen before … the Advent calendar. For a reason that flows from source. “It’s a living plant,” he said.
However, this year, lack of water and heat wave have not spared the fir trees. A meteorological scheme that risks taking root with climate change. And the tree does not suck just ice. Its beautiful green antlers can brush with the summer drought. Or be weakened. Even the Nordmann, whose success is linked to the good hold of his needles, could show the limits of his resistance before the twelve strokes of midnight. Positive point, however, the mild weather and the absence of snow have not created pitfalls in the cutting of trees within farms. 2>
on average 30 euros
Another thorny subject for producers of fir trees: the outbreak of inflation. In 2021, producers, faced up the price of packaging and transport, could not revalue the prices, negotiated at the start of the year with the stores. The French therefore spent an average of 30 euros to afford the conifers of their dream. They brought back 5.9 million in their home, 80 % of which sported the tricolor cockade. This festive forest represented a turnover of 176 million euros according to Valhor, the interprofession of horticulture. An almost stable amount, compared to the 170 million 2020.
What will he be this year? Professionals hold their breath. Mr. Naudet feels a certain reluctance on the sales of Christmas trees so far. The weekend of December 10 and 11 will be decisive for the final score. Even if consumers draw from their woolen stockings for the holidays, they are often forced to make choices. Inflationist fever cools the spending ardor. “We have passed on an average increase in the price of the fir tree of 10 % in large distribution,” recognizes Mr. Naudet, who fights for the valuation of the conifer. Do not tell him about the promotional offers of store channels like Ikea, which make tree a carrot. “We do not spend seven to eight years producing a tree to see it given as that,” protested the president of AFSSN. The tree is no longer the tree that hides the price of the price increase …