Christmas trees lifted from forest by helicopter

Christmas trees destined for Scotland are winched from Northumberland's Kielder Forest by helicopter. Picture: Hemedia

KIELDER Forest in Northumberland is home to many of the Christmas trees - or Norwegian spruces, to give them their Sunday name - that end up in public spaces across the UK, including Glasgow and Jedburgh.

Measuring between 20ft and 50ft, some trees are so big that they have to be winched out by a helicopter, after being expertly felled by chainsaw.

The trees are then fitted with a harness and attached to the waiting helicopter to be airlifted out of the forest.

After this, the trees are delivered individually by low-loader to various towns and cities north and south of the border as part of Christmas celebrations.

The trees are harvested by a specialist team from Elveden Farms, who are tasked with farming trees on a number of sites across the UK.