Finland: 50 free Christmas trees – you just have to find them

Those Christmas trees are lurking in there somewhere. (Kalle Heikkinen / Yle)
Those Christmas trees are lurking in there somewhere. (Kalle Heikkinen / Yle)
For the third year in a row, Finland’s Forest Management Associations in the region of  Pirkanmaa will be “hiding” Christmas trees in the forests and releasing GPS coordinates on Saturday as a seasonal geocaching treasure hunt.

This year, for the first time, the hunt also goes nationwide.

The number of Christmas trees to be found varies from region to region, but nationwide there will be about 50 of them hidden, and they will be free for the taking to the first to find them.

The project is intended both as a bit of seasonal fun, but also as a serious reminder that the law and tradition of “everyman’s right”, by which people are free to roam public and private lands, pick berries and gather mushrooms, does not extend to cutting down trees, during Yuletide or at any other time.

The exception is any of the “geocached” trees that will all be marked with a red Forest Management Associations ribbon.

Anyone who discovers the site one of the trees will also find a tin containing a logbook. Organizers hope that everyone who comes across a site will record their visit. The tin also contains a surprise for a few of those who were not lucky enough to find the spot soon enough to get one of the free trees.

The coordinates of the free Christmas trees will be published online at the Forest Management Associations’ website (in Finnish, under “Ajankohtaista”) at around 8 AM on the morning of Saturday the 14th.

Yle News

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