40,000 people sign petition to save 'Green Giant' tree from being chopped down and taken to St Peter's Square in Rome.

A controversy has broken out over this year's Christmas tree in the Vatican, destined to come from the forests of Val di Ledro in Italy's northern Trentino region.

Almost 40,000 people have signed a petition to stop 40 fir trees from being chopped down, in particular the so-called Green Giant, a 30m-high specimen that is around two centuries old.

Residents of the valley near Lake Garda have slammed the proposed cutting of the 'Gigante verde' to be sent to St Peter's Square for the Christmas season as an "anachronistic outrage".

The petition urges Pope Francis to halt the felling, reminding the pontiff that in his encyclicals focused on caring for the natural environment he emphasised that humans must respect the laws of nature.

"In a historic moment, where climate change is evolving rapidly, it is necessary to give clear and transparent signals to be able to change the approach towards respecting Nature", the petition reads.

The appeal says "the Christmas tree is a pagan tradition" and calls on people to sign against "the purely consumerist practice of using living trees for ephemeral use, for mere advertising purposes and a few ridiculous selfies."

The petition also cites the €60,000 cost of the operation - "money that could be used for the common good" - before declaring starkly: "Centuries-old trees, like many animals, are becoming extinct. Once they have disappeared, there is no going back."

Local authorities have hit back at those attempting to stop the tree felling, including committees who are seeking to prevent "this useless massacre".

Ledro mayor Renato Girardi stressed that if the tree wasn't donated to the Vatican "it would go to the sawmill", underlining that the forests are sustainably managed in accordance with the requirements of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) system.

"The fir tree that will be removed is part of one of the lots that must be felled for the correct cultivation of the forest" - Girardi said - "The trees to be chopped down are the mature ones and therefore the centuries-old ones, which are more than 80 or 100 years old."

The petition has suggested the Vatican could create "a permanent artistic tree" made by recycling wood from trees that "have fallen due to climate change", as was done with the installations such as the winged dragon of Vaia, adding: "It would truly be a nice sign of change".

Photo credit: Imma Gambardella / Shutterstock.com.