Where to buy the green beauties, at what price, and how illegal logging of New Year trees will be prevented, as reported by the Vitebsk State Forestry Association.
In total, the region's forestry enterprises plan to sell about 30 thousand New Year trees. More than a third of this volume will be prepared by the Vitebsk, Postavy, Polotsk, and Orsha forestry enterprises.
For the convenience of the public, the operating hours of Christmas tree markets are to be extended as much as possible. The range of goods offered by the outlets includes fir trees, pines, Christmas tree bouquets, and potted fir trees. Incidentally, the latter are in high demand among the public, so their sales volume is planned to be increased.
The price of a New Year tree at Christmas tree markets in Vitebsk will be uniform. Thus, a fluffy beauty up to 1 m in height can be purchased for 12.1 rubles, up to 2 m – for 15.3 rubles, up to 3 m – for 22.2 rubles.
In the regional centre, 15 sites have been designated for the sale of natural fir and pine trees. In particular, these include the Polotsk, Smolensk, and Yuzhny markets, Proletarskaya Square, as well as on Smolenskaya, Mira, Pravdy, Titova, Chkalova, Voini-Internatsionalistov streets, Moskovsky Avenue, etc.
In the pre-New Year period, raid work aimed at preventing illegal logging becomes relevant for the employees of the state forest guard. Forest and coniferous young growth patrols will be organised near settlements and roads. Posts will also be set up, including joint ones with employees of the State Automobile Inspectorate and the State Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Flora under the President of the Republic of Belarus.
Citizens transporting fir and pine trees must have documents confirming their purchase. In the pre-New Year days, the forest guard intends to actively use photo and video recording cameras. Unauthorised felling of green beauties threatens an individual with a fine of 5 to 30 basic units, an individual entrepreneur – from 20 to 200 BUs, and a legal entity – from 50 to 300 BUs.