30.12.2008 - Children brought Christmas trees from the state forest 04.10

This year, RMK and the non-profit association MTÜ Caritas invited all children from children’s homes to take part in a spruce trip, in the framework of which every participating children’s home was presented with a Christmas tree which they found and cut by themselves. During the week, a total of 22 children’s homes across Estonia went to the forest for a Christmas tree.

According to Marge Rammo, Head of the Nature Management Department of RMK, this has become a nice tradition of its own that every winter RMK presents children’s and youth homes across Estonia with Christmas trees from the Estonian state forest. “This year, we decided to make it a bit different and more exciting for the children by allowing them to choose the spruces that suited them the most,” said Marge Rammo. More than 250 children participated in the trips.

In the opinion of Lagle Parek, Member of the Management Board of the non-profit association MTÜ Caritas, a spruce found on one’s own and brought home by oneself definitely brings warmth to the soul, which is so often lacking. “Christmas is a good time to think of all those who do not have a place at a party table, and a good old tradition has it that every family laid one place more on the table than there were members in the family so that a random visitor would also feel welcome. So by finding their own tree and bringing it home, children can share their joy with those who were not with them in the forest,” Parek added.

As a part of this event, children were introduced to the spruce at the forest centres of RMK in more detail: how and where the tree grows, how its age can be determined and who lives under or on the tree. After the educational part, the exciting spruce trip to the forest was taken and a suitable Christmas tree found.

RMK is a profit-making state agency established under the Forestry Act, aimed at the sustainable and efficient management of the state forest. In addition to this, RMK creates possibilities for forest holidays and shapes nature awareness. RMK manages 38% of Estonia’s forests.

Additional information:
Marge Rammo
Head of the Nature Preservation Department of RMK
Telephone: +372 676 7530, +372 513 7035
E-mail: marge.rammormk.ee
www.rmk.ee/en 

Lagle Parek
Member of Management Board of the non-profit association MTÜ Caritas
Telephone: +372 5568 8666
E-mail: lagle@caritas.ee
www.caritas.ee