Demand among Irish households for real Christmas trees is up this year, according to a seller in Co Wicklow who said he is surprised by the rise in demand.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Christy Kavanagh of Kavanagh's Christmas Trees in Newtownmountkennedy said: "Demand is up, I can't believe [it]. There's a great energy, a great positive energy and a great buzz about the place."
Mr Kavanagh said the demand is already noticeable as garden centres are getting extra trees in.
When asked about the interest in real trees, Mr Kavanagh said people are more environmentally aware these days.
He said customers "know that our product is environmentally friendly as opposed to a product that comes from the other side of the world".
Explaining the positives, Mr Kavanagh said Irish-grown trees are local, support jobs and are biodegradable.
And the interest in Irish-grown trees is rising abroad as well with Britain being the main customer.
"Well, they go to several countries, but our nearest neighbours - Britain is our main exporter. They love the Irish tree. We have a great climate here for growing trees.
"You know, I'd have Danish and Dutch and German growers on the farm here [in Wicklow], and they envy our conditions, our soil, the beautiful thin layer of soil that we have on the farm, you know, it produces fantastic trees."
Mr Kavanagh said it is less expensive and more sustainable to transport trees from Ireland to the UK, than from countries such as Denmark.
Regarding the cost of a real tree for customers in Ireland, he said trees cost around ten euro per foot.
"So a six-foot tree would cost, we'll say, €60. Depending on quality, there's different qualities available as well," he said.
Explaining why he thinks there is a desire for real trees in Irish homes, Mr Kavanagh added: "People want something different, probably people hear a lot of negativity [in the world], but they want something positive, and this brings positivity into their household."
