About 41,000 fir and pine trees were sold by the forestry enterprises of the Vitebsk region in the pre-New Year days

January 3, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. About 41 thousand fir and pine trees were sold by forestry enterprises of the Vitebsk region at Christmas tree markets in the pre-New Year days, which is almost 1 thousand trees more compared to last year, Oleg Gritskevich, leading engineer for secondary forest use and subsidiary agriculture of the Vitebsk Regional Production Forestry Association (PLHO), told a BELTA correspondent. The main quantity of sold trees accounted for the traditional symbol of the New Year - fir. Only about 6 thousand residents of the region appreciated the original offer of PLHO, decorating pine trees with festive garlands and bright toys. 220 people, mainly elderly citizens, preferred to set up fir and pine bouquets at home. Blue spruces in tubs, grown in the Glubokskoye forestry, were popular with the population, mainly residents of the regional center. The peak of New Year tree sales occurred on January 27-29. The revenue of PLHO enterprises at Christmas tree markets amounted to Br396 million. Every year, the association's forestry enterprises try to bring something new to the Christmas tree markets. Thus, the innovative idea of this year was the pine tree as an alternative to the fir tree, as well as cross-shaped stands for trees from the Glubokskoye and Begomlskoye forestry enterprises, which also found their buyers. "This practice is planned to be continued in subsequent years. In 2011, we will definitely surprise our residents with something again," assured Oleg Gritskevich. 16 offenders were caught by raid groups for illegal felling of fir trees in the current pre-New Year season. Administrative protocols were drawn up against them. -0-