A producer of fir trees that he cultivates sustainably, this professional from Doubs is ready for the annual Christmas tree sale. Although his harvest is off to a good start, the professional is worried. With global warming, he sees his trees evolving, but not in the good direction.
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The time for Christmas tree sales is fast approaching in France, as in Franche-Comté. In the Doubs, Joël Andrey, conifer producer in Lavans-Vuillafans also distinguishes it.
Despite a poor harvest last year due to complicated weather, the forester sees a clear improvement in 2024, but is not positive for the following years. The only good news is that its stocks of fir trees are already all reserved.
On his three hectares of cultivation, the man who took over the family business since 2007, practices fir cultivation in the most sustainable way possible. “We have always done it this way. My father in the 1960s was one of the first to farm like that”explains Joël Andrey, “we do not want to mechanize, nor bring human beings into the production process, these are our values”.
For this forester, the forest is his whole life, each tree he raises is a bit like his child. “Last year the fir trees did not grow. For several years, we have seen that the thorns no longer grow everywhere on the tree. When we are as close to nature as we are, we worry”.
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© Morgane Hecky – France Télévisions
For the producer, we should go back, use less pesticides, “it’s a certainty, when we see the state of our shoots, we ask ourselves questions. We were raised in the heart of the woods, we can clearly see that there are problems”says Joël Andrey.
Compared to other silviculturists, he uses fewer tools. Shovel, pickaxe and chainsaws are his only teammates during his work. A difference which does not bother him and which pushes him to produce what he can according to his land. “Today, we can produce a hundred Christmas trees, but no more. Those who use chemicals must do more, but we limit ourselves to what the earth can offer us”.
READ ALSO: Where and how to throw away your Christmas tree after the holidays in Besançon, legally?
For his part, Joël Andrey does not deny that his business is doing well, all his trees are already reserved or sold. “We can plan ahead with replanting. A large fir tree takes at least five years to grow, but the heat damages them. This year, we're doing well, that's positive. But what will happen? it in 2025?.
A situation which no longer makes him believe in the sustainability of his activity. He even shares with us that in these conditions, his affair will only last five years.
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