How to pick a pine cone without falling off the tree

With the help of Georgian pine cone picker Berdia Kublashvili, Angus Crawford explains how to climb a tree safely.

They are in rural Georgia, just outside the village of Ambrolauri, about 300km (180 miles) northwest of the capital Tbilisi. The majority of British Christmas trees are grown from seed from Georgian cones.

Once the cones have been dried for two months, they are taken to a factory where they are crushed to harvest the seeds. The nearby factory shown here is owned by Danish company Fair Trees, which tries to apply Fair trade principles to the industry.

Angus Crawford's report for Crossing Continents is on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday 2 December at 1100 GMT and Monday 6 December at 2030 GMT. You can also listen on the iPlayer or download the podcast.