Volunteers were selling Christmas trees in Opoho Rd in Dunedin on Saturday to raise money for Oxfam Aotearoa, a charity which helped provide clean water and eliminate poverty for people across the world.
Customers happily picked out the perfect-size tree for their home, with some so tall they barely fit in the car.
Volunteer John Cocks said the wilding trees were grown in North Otago and were harvested with the help of Port Blakely foresters.
Instead of removing the trees when they were young, the foresters allowed them to grow for three to eight years so they could be felled and used as Christmas trees.
They first started selling trees in 2003 and he had been part of it every time, Mr Cocks said.
The trees, scientifically know as Pinus radiata, were a great alternative to a plastic tree, which were "going out of fashion".
The wilding trees needed to be felled anyway, so it was an environmentally friendly solution that added a festival sight and aroma to the home for Christmas.
"It’s the spirit of Christmas."
The trees would last a few weeks and were best kept in a bucket of water and topped up as the tree absorbed the liquid, he said.
There were over 100 trees ready to be taken home and he expected to raise about $2000 from the sales.
