SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - San Francisco has scored a hit with a program to rent "Green Christmas Trees" to folks for the holidays and then plant the trees on city streets at the start of the new year.

"Due to the overwhelming success of this program, the nurseries have run out of the selected tree species," the city's Department of the Environment said on its website on Friday. "We look forward to an expanded program next year."

The 100 trees reserved for the nascent program were snapped up in less than a week by Earth-friendly San Francisco residents, according to the department.

People got to chose from three different types of trees, none of them the traditional Christmas pines because those are considered too messy to adorn city streets.

The rental price of 90 dollars included delivery and pick-up. For an additional fee, city workers would plant the tree in the renter's yard.

When the boxed trees were dropped off at homes, the residents were also invited to swap old energy-guzzling Christmas lights for new electricity-sipping holiday lights deemed 90 percent more efficient.

In January, city workers will retrieve the rented trees and plant them on city streets, which can accommodate 127,000 more trees, according to the department.

　　中文：

　　在2005年圣诞节来临之际，美国旧金山市掀起了一场租用圣诞树的热潮。旧金山市环保局向市民统一出租圣诞后，而这些树将在节后被种植到城市街道旁。

　　据法新社12月17报道，旧金山市环保局日前在其网站上发表声明称：“出租圣诞树的活动取得意想不到的成功，我们准备的树供不应求。明年，我们将继续向市民出租圣诞树，并扩大供应量。”旧金山市环保局透露说，预留的100棵圣诞树也在一周之内被市民一抢而空。

　　旧金山市环保局此次出租的圣诞树不是传统的松树，而是另外3种树，因为松树被认为种植在城市街头有损市容。据悉，每棵圣诞树的租金为90美元，其中包括邮寄费和运费。市民如果想在过节后将树种在自家的院子里，还需另外交纳相关费用。同时，租用圣诞树的市民还可用旧的圣诞树装饰灯换新的节能型装饰灯。

　　报道说，明年1月，旧金山市环保局将回收这些圣诞树，将它们种植在城市的街道旁。这一行动可为旧金山市增加12.7万株新树。