As New Year's Eve approaches, Ukraine traditionally experiences "Christmas tree fever." Stores, advertisements, and the media ramp up the festive spirit to the max. So, at a time when Ukrainians are sorely lacking in warm emotions, it seems logical to try to add some by buying a Christmas tree for the home. However, according to environmentalists, this desire is harmful to the environment.
The head of the All-Ukrainian Ecological League, Tetiana Tymochko, appeared on KYIV24 and called for people to refrain from buying coniferous trees, explaining why they should be replaced with more environmentally friendly alternatives.
A foreign ritual
In the past, coniferous trees did not have a widespread sacred meaning associated with winter holidays in Ukraine. This was probably because they did not grow in a significant part of the country. Therefore, our ancestors chose other symbolic plants to decorate their festive homes, such as branches of fruit trees, such as apple or cherry trees, or a didukh made of ripe ears of grain.
“This imposed tradition is not truly a natural sign of celebration. Festive spirit is not something artificial. If you want the scent of a fir tree, you can do without these gigantic trees we see nowadays. A single branch, a small tree made from cuttings, or a decorative bouquet is enough,” said Tetiana Tymochko.
The inappropriateness of additional damage to nature
Ukraine is currently going through an extremely difficult period in its history. Military actions are causing the death of people and animals, large-scale destruction, and enormous damage to the environment. Just recently, the State Environmental Inspection reported that the estimated damage from crimes against the environment has already exceeded 6 trillion hryvnia.
"Three million hectares of forest plantations have been destroyed by Russian occupiers. They were burned or destroyed by shells. Imagine, during this period, we are still destroying such a huge amount of green spaces with our own hands," the ecologist emphasizes.
Therefore, the All-Ukrainian Ecological League calls on Ukrainians to refuse to buy trees. As an alternative, they offer:
- returning to Ukrainian winter traditions-installing a didukh;
- buying a tree in a pot so it can be planted in the yard afterward;
- creating a coniferous bouquet with branches and decorations.
Source: shutterstock
EcoPolitic previously reported that only trees originating from official nurseries are allowed to be sold in Ukraine. They have a tag with a code that can be used to verify the legality of the plant's origin.
Otherwise, fines await both illegal loggers and sellers and buyers. The State Environmental Inspection Agency has announced the amount of the fines.
Due to the full-scale invasion, the area of Ukrainian forests has decreased by about 20%. Damage of varying degrees has been caused to 3 million hectares of forest.
