Overview
- Between 23 and 25 million real trees decorate German homes each year, with about 80% sold as Nordmann firs.
- In 2024, 19,100 hectares were used for Christmas‑tree cultivation outside forests in Germany, supplemented by roughly 1.8 million imports, mainly from Denmark.
- A 2020 BUND analysis found pesticide residues on many sampled plantation trees, highlighting environmental concerns tied to monoculture growing.
- Artificial trees typically incur around 40 kilograms of CO2 in production and generally need about 17 to 20 years of reuse to outperform a real tree, with many models imported from China adding transport emissions.
- Authorities recommend buying regional, certified real trees (e.g., EU organic, Bioland, Naturland or FSC) or reusing artificial trees long term, and they urge use of municipal collection and recycling rather than home burning.