Oh Christmas Tree , Oh Christmas Tree

It's that time of year again when enormous Christmas trees are being erected in squares , and plazas all over Europe and beyond. In Montpellier it is no different. Last week we admired the gigantic fir tree which had been erected in front of l'Opéra, and remarked how much better this is than that modernistic blue and silver construction, an apology for a tree, that was erected in Place de la Comédie a few years ago.

Ever since 1947, the city of Oslo in Norway has cut down a gigantic Norwegian spruce in November to be transported to London, in recognition of the help Britain gave to Norway during the second world war.On average 20m tall, it is erected in London's Trafalgar Square, where it is decorated with Christmas lights. This year the tree lighting ceremony took place there on December 4th.

But Christmas trees don't have to be large to be beautiful. Most years , we have found a tiny tree to decorate for ourselves close by to our house, and felt justly proud. Why live in a forest and head to the supermarket to buy one, after all? The trouble is that the majority of trees around us are the Pin Noir d'Autriche( Austrian black pine .) These have been planted on a grand scale ever since Napoleon III decreed that a forest should be planted here to stabilise the valley slopes. But if we explore, we can discover all sorts of trees growing here as well, both deciduous and evergreen , including the Nordman spruce. This makes a perfect Christmas tree with its broad green needles, so we have generally searched one out, taking only a tiny example that is overshadowed by others, and therefore not viable. Others just take the branches from larger Nordman firs for decoration, as they have done here in Soubès, where the village are planning their Christmas celebrations in the village square.

The Greek fir tree has traditionally been a powerful presence in the Peleponnese mountains of Greece. This is a slow growing conifer, that up until now has been able to withstand the vagaries of the mediterranean climate , as well as frequent summer fires. Today I read an alarming report that chronicled how these wonderful trees are suffering , not only from wildfires, but from the effects of climate change with its more frequent droughts. It was only after reading this that I asked the question: what is the difference between a spruce, a fir and a pine tree? How can I , who has lived surrounded by pine trees for so many years, have failed to ask this question before? Apparently, whilst all three are species are evergreen , and bear conifers, they all differ in some way, such as in their type of needles, the shape and colour of their cones , their bark and so on. Most obviously, the needles of the fir tree are flat and grow from the branch, whereas the needles of our Austrian black pines grow in clumps.That is why, of course, they don't make great Christmas trees. Now I am alert to these differences I shall be trying to identify different trees on our walks around the forest. Even in our 'garden' I notice that we have both firs and pines. And how about our Italian Cypress trees. What are those? There is always something new to learn in life, n'est ce pas? ,

Pine, fir or spruce?

Of course, the Austrian black pines that dominate our forest have been an invaluable source of income for the ONF( Office National des Forêts.) The trunks grow tall and straight, and are periodically harvested in various locations of the forest for timber and pulp. . But all that will change from now on. Recently we met our erstwhile neighbour, the forest chief, Marie Eve, as we were walking on the forest road. She was coming down from the higher slopes in her forestry van, and stopped to chat. She told us that she had just spent that afternoon with a group of students from the local collège , who were helping with the planting of new more drought resistant species of trees, such as the Aleppo pine, and chêne blanc( deciduous oak trees.) Napoleon's choice of tree was certainly a good one in its time , but , as Bob Dylan tells us "The Times they are a Changin'."

Seasons Greetings to All, and Health and Happiness throughout 2026