Real vs Fake Christmas Trees
Monday December 8, 2008
Every Christmas you ask yourself the same question: Is it better to get a real Christmas tree that has to be discarded after a few weeks, or a fake Christmas tree you can use year after year?
Learn about the potential health and environmental consequences of both real and fake Christmas trees, and a third alternative that just may offer a more eco-friendly answer.
Photo courtesy of Paul Anderson
Comments
I am stuck with artificial trees because of allergies. Gifts are rarely under our tree because we put decorative things like trains or villages there. We have cats who are constantly bothering the tree and, so far, they do not appear to have any resulting health problems. I do consider myself a tree-hugger, and, if that is in doubt, just try to pollard one of my trees.
Artificial Trees are environmentally sound, most real trees go into landfills – in an average 15 year life span of a fake Christmas tree – the real tree user will put about 1/2 ton of waste in a landfill – land fill waste is not compost.
This year I bought a bonsai Christmas tree. It is 18 inches tall and is growing in a pot. My plan is to plant it outside once the Christmas period is over. I’m single with no kids so that works for me.
Real Christmas trees are very versitle. They can be reused as erosion control in gullies, sunk in ponds as fish habitat, composted for your garden, placed in the woods or fields as a wildlife brush pile. Many public landfills now compost them. They don’t necessarily go into the landfill. They sequester carbon and create oxygen while growing. Christmas Tree farms keep land into forest use that might otherwise be converted to development. The income they generate for the grower y can keep a farm operation viable, so the farmer can remain in farming. Can’t do those things with artificial trees.
I wish I could buy the real Christmas tree right from the Christmas tree farm, use it and then plant it in my backyard so that I can re-use it next year; or take it back to the farm and have them hold it for me.
i prefer the look of a real Christmas tree’s in my house but it can be a pain when bits fall of and also disposing of them isnt that easy, having a fake tree is better but they just dont seem to have that Christmas feel about them.
How many tree farms would be strip malls if everyone had fake trees? Pine decomposes very fast and it takes a number of years for a seedling to become a six foot tree. All the time helping the enviroment.
I think fake trees are better than real trees because thay last 4 longer and do not make land waste.
Ok, so I wouldn’t mind getting a real tree. But I already bought a fake tree 5 years ago. So switching now would be even worse! Since that means I would have to get rid of my fake tree, which will probably end up at the dump since most people rather have a new one. Which of course is worse than keeping it and using it till it falls apart. I have been going through this every year ever since I bought the darn fake tree! Pretty frustrating. Any suggestions anyone?
Actually, I’ve never had a fake tree that has been pitched stay long enough to be carted off by the garbage men. Even the old ratty looking tree has been picked up by someone who can’t afford a tree in the first place so it gets an extra chance with a new family.
My fake trees (when I had them) have pretty much lasted as long as 10-15 seasons. I love the smell of a real one but with three cats, i don’t feel like cleaning up after them every day
Our way to deal with the dilemma is that we don’t do Christmas. No worry about live or fake trees, no dealing with Christmas shopping madness, no children. Our Christmas present is a day off from work 