In Guatemala there are only about 27,000 hectares of the tree, located in the cold forests of the highest areas of Chimaltenango, Sololá, Totonicapán, Xela, San Marcos and Huehuetenango.
Their flowering cycle is interrupted when traders cut off their branches and do everything they can to market them illegally.
“We want to raise awareness in society about the protection and legal purchase of the product and its by-products,” Oscar Cordón, director of management and restoration of the National Forest Institute (INAB), told the press.
In this sense, the official added, inter-agency activities have been coordinated and 80,000 marches are ready for the legal marketing of trees, garlands and wreaths to meet the demand of the population.
The National Civil Police announced that it will implement a plan through the Nature Conservation Department starting November 25th, which will be completed on December 20th.
It will involve 415 specialists with the support of the department’s police stations, who will be in charge of setting up checkpoints to identify possible illegal transfers of the jawans.
Likewise, they will carry out checks in forest areas, strategic locations and roads to prevent the illegal transport of this species, which has been threatened with extinction for several years.
Security forces called on the population to buy pinabetes or bouquets of flowers with their respective seals issued by INAB and the National Council of Protected Areas (Conap), another organization fully involved in the strategy.
The southwestern department of Quetzaltenango (Xela) is the largest producer of pinabete, planting more than 10,000 marches last year, according to official figures.
“We have between 70 and 80 registered plantations, but between 30 and 35 are activated annually to commercialize products of this type, which mainly go to the capital market,” explained the subregional director of INAB, Guillermo Monterrosa.
He added that the smell and fragrance of natural trees cannot be found in artificial trees and that by purchasing a tree with a stamp, one is working with families in the rural area who are committed to pine conservation all year round.
Data from INAB showed that the pinabet production sector generated 13 million quetzales (almost two million dollars) in 2022.
Chapina families have a deep-rooted custom of coming together at this time to celebrate and live together in an emotional and joyful atmosphere where their symbol decorated with lights and colors is rarely missing.
ode/znc