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Autonomous weeders for Christmas tree plantations - a feasibility study 2 The economic significance of Christmas tree production
Bent Keller The Danish Forest and Landscape Institute, Department of Forestry According to the registrations at The Production Fee for Christmas Trees and Greenery (PAF) that the production area in Denmark is 31.370 hectare. From this Nordmann’s fir constitutes the major part (approx. 22.000 hectare) and noble fir approximately 9.000 hectare. Further there are some special productions of cypress, Serbian spruce, holly, cryptermeria and others. And finally there is Norway spruce, which is either produced in field plantations or taken from forest plantations as thinning trees. The total area is thus app. 35.000 hectare. 2.1 StructureAbout 4.100 producers are registered, of which the majority are operating with area units < 1 hectare. It is estimated that the size of an average production unit is about 1,5 hectare; however, there has been a tendency towards larger production units during the later years. 2.2 ExportDenmark is the country in Europe that exports the most Christmas trees and greenery cuttings. Each year 6-8 million Christmas trees and 30 – 35.000 tonnes of greenery cuttings are exported. The major buyer is Germany with 50 – 60% of the Christmas trees and 70 – 75% of the greenery cuttings. Next in place are France, Austria, England, Switzerland and Norway. 2.3 EconomicsThe annual turnover is 500-600 million DKK and makes up 50% of the total turnover of Danish forestry. For each producer this involves a very intensive production in which about 100.000 DKK per hectare is tied up in one crop for a period of 10 years. An essential condition for a reasonable yield of the investment is that the plantation is weeded. Today this is to a great extent (app. 70% of the area) done chemically, amounting to 20-25% of the total cultivation costs equivalent to around 25.000 DKK per hectare.
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