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SHOTLIST : AP TELEVISION NEWS London - recent 1. Various of Christmas tree in Convent Garden US POOL Washington DC - 6 Dec 2006 2. Exterior of US Capitol with Christmas tree lights being turned on AP TELEVISION NEWS Planchez en Morvan, Burgundy - 6 December 2006 3. Various of process of preparing trees for Christmas 4. SOUNDBITE : (French) Frederic Naudet, Christmas tree farmer, president of Natural Christmas trees association "Producers we are more and more concerned about using environmentally friendly growing techniques; the second has to do with the marketing of the product, because our clients demand more and more trees grown with the softest possible impact on the nature". 5. Man chopping down trees in the Parc du Morvan, Burgundy 6. SOUNDBITE : (French) Patrick Grosche, Organic trees farmer "Here we are on an allotment where it was impossible to treat with chemicals, for the good reason that just at the bottom there runs a river of 'first category' where there are lots of fish including trout; and one hundred metres downhill my neighbour has a fishing pond as well, therefore it was really impossible to go for chemical treatments" . 7. The river down the hill. 8. SOUNDBITE : (French) Patrick Grosche, Organic trees farmer "Why the sheep don't eat the Christmas trees, that is the very reason for the Shropshire sheep to be used here. It is a very peculiar breed which doesn't like to eat pine trees maybe because it doesn't like at all the taste, as simple as that". 9. Cartuche, the horse cleaning up the field. 10. SOUNDBITE : (French) Patrick Grosche, Organic trees farmer "The history of Cartuche is this : I bought back a ram (a male sheep) from Austria and I couldn't put him with the four female sheep immediately, so I let him out with the horse, and they became really close friends. In the end I couldn't possibly separate them and Cartouche came here as well to work at the pine trees". 11. Fire with pine trees. 12. SOUNDBITE : (French) Frederic Naudet, Christmas tree farmer, president of Natural Christmas trees association "Fashion changes at its pace but to produce a Christmas tree you need five to ten years, so we can't follow the fashion as for clothes and shoes; the trend nowadays is more and more the Nordmann tree, like this one. They don't loose their needle, they don't have a scent but they keep their needles after being cut thus avoiding you the chore to pick up the needles from the floor". 13. Wide of smoke and young pine plants in the background. LEAD IN : Christmas trees are regarded by many as an essential decoration during the festive period. But there have been concerns expressed about whether the farming methods used are harmful to the environment. In France, the biggest producing region is Morvan, a part of Burgundy. Here, some producers claim to be trying to achieve truly ecological Christmas trees. STORYLINE : In cities across the world, huge Christmas trees loom over public places from London's Convent Garden to Capitol Hill in Washington. Homeowners across the Christian world are also choosing trees to decorate their homes. But where do the trees come from ? In France it is possible that the tree in the corner of your room has come from the Burgundy region. In the weeks before Christmas, this tree farm in the Parc du Morvan is busy preparing for last minute deliveries. The freshly cut trees are wrapped in a net, their base is sharpened to fit more easily in a pot, then they are pressed together to save space. A different colour tag states their height and species. Then they are ready for transport to shops, supermarkets and garden centres. The project is supported by the Natural park of Morvan. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/c2601ea1a00baa99e3df0629634d5787 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork