The relative "greenness" of your holiday tree may not be the reason you choose whether to get a real tree or use an artificial one (convenience, aesthetics, budget may be other considerations for you), but if it is and you're confused by arguments on both sides about which is "greener" - read on.
Trees are not like flowers. They take a long time to grow especially the 7 ft. (and up) ones many of us bring into our homes for a just a few weeks each year. As much as we love that fresh pine scent, there is something a bit unsettling about asking Mother Nature to grow these trees for such a short, narrow use. On the other hand, we've always felt a bit unsure about just what artificial trees are made from and what chemicals we may be bringing into our home, especially with young kids, and while they can last a very, very long time - that's kind of the problem isn't it - they'll never decompose like a tree.
But, hey, we're not scientists, so we're pretty unqualified to come to any reliable conclusions about which option is better for the environment. However we did come across an article today that sheds some more light on this and even interviews a real live scientist. In the opinion of Clint Springer, a biologist at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, from a strictly environmental perspective real trees are the way to go. Because they're grown on tree farms, deforestation is not the concern it once was in this regard (it's like bonus trees for the earth).
Springer deems real Christmas trees "carbon neutral" since they remove carbon dioxide from the air when they're growing through photosynthesis then release it back when they're chipped for mulch. Fake trees, however, usually contain petroleum (in the form of plastics) and are often shipped far distances which creates a lot of carbon dioxide.
So, there you have it. You can find Springer interviewed about this in an article on Live Science.
Related:
Where To Buy Organic or Sustainably Grown Christmas Trees
(fake tree photo by Flickr member twid, real tree photo by Flickr member milele, both licensed for use under Creative Commons.)
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I'm so happy to see this post. I grew up on a Christmas tree farm and my parents planted thousands and thousands of trees of which a small percentage were cut down for the holidays. I love the phrase 'bonus trees for the earth' there's no better way to describe it!
I will always prefer a real tree. That being said, our city mulches them afterwards and offers the mulch for free to anyone who wants it. We are also able to cut our own, so they aren't cut waiting for someone to buy them only to be garbage if no one does.
I am so happy to read something like this! I've always done the "real" thing but I've always wondered if what we were doing was right. Good information!
We also cut our own tree from a local Christmas tree farm. While I'm pretty sure they spray their trees and cause fertilizer runoff, I still like supporting a local farm that plants hundreds of acres of new trees every year. The fake trees never struck me as more environmentally friendly... made in China from petrochemicals? I'll pass.
Nothing beats a fresh real tree, except maybe a fresh real potted tree! I want to try the potted tree idea one year and plant it come spring. I've read that potted Christmas trees should stay in doors no longer than ten days and then be moved outside until the spring, but that doesn't sound like an issue for me. I really want to try this one time and maybe start a new tradition of adding a new tree to our landscape every spring.
It's nice information to have, but severe allergies trump green for me. Maybe one day there will be a greener artificial tree.
Tree from a tree farm.
All those artificial trees will end up in landfills and never degrade.
In Australia our climate doesn't really facilitate 'real' trees, Christmas is in the height of summer so they are very rare here.
However were they an option I would not buy one, as I already own the tree hastening it's demise into landfill so I could feel greener with a real tree would be fashion, not ecology.
Also if you were truly making the decision based on the environment I have seen a few 'eco stores' selling wooden which would be far 'greener' than either of the alternatives.
Hey faithMc, we have a small table top size fabric tree. I bet there are cool wooden trees... think more artsy fartsy type.
Honeyhaze, me too. I just feel guilty, but it's not worth pumping my body full of chemicals to survive it, either.
I hate allergies.
I love the smell of a real tree, but we've always had an artificial one and I prefer it. Although I realize there are tree farms, it seems odd to me to cut down a fresh tree every year for a month or so. Plus there's the needles, the tar and the smell of stagnant water if you don't change it everyday.
Also, I'd rather put my $50 towards presents or Bank bonds. We buy one really nice tree and it lasts for well over a decade. Since getting married I have been working on our ornaments collection and that's something I'd rather get every year.
I guess I'd consider our tree a 3rd option. It is an artificial tree, but also an antique. It has been around for decades and if I were to ever want to get rid of it I would sell it to someone else who would appreciate it.
http://www.inhabitots.com/2009/12/12/recycled-cardboard-christmas-tree-by-kidsonroof/kidsonroof-xmas-tree-1/
inhabitots.com has a couple of "different" types of trees.
I love real trees but I'm allergic so we have a fake one to avoid a month of itchy eyes and runny nose.
I grew up in an area of the country where huge amounts of the nation's trees comes from.
Saying "they're grown on farms so deforestation isn't a worry" is just silly. Where do you think those farms come from? People chop down all the trees on the side of the mountain and plant a whole bunch of Xmas trees. Zero biodiversity, and that doesn't even go into all the chemicals they spray on the things.
Potted trees are wonderful, and what my family has used for years - but keep in mind that they MURDER the topsoil of whatever mountainside they're taken from.
I love love real Christmas trees, and will happily keep using them for as long as possible, but lets not pretend they don't have an impact. But at least it's an impact once a year, and it's a huge help to local economies that might otherwise have to depend on strip mining or the like. Much worse than tree farms.
Honeyhaze, don't worry about the potted tree unless you live in a very extreme climate. We've had them sit around indoors for a month at a time, and then sit in the pot for months more on the porch until the ground was soft enough to plant it. Evergreens are hardy things.
If a tree farm wasn't a tree farm, it would probably be an office complex or a condo development.
I love real trees but we have an old hand me down artificial tree right now. I hate seeing trees cut down and it feels wrong. So while I wouldn't buy another aritificial tree, I would try to buy a potted one to transplant in the ground here in the Spring if we needed a new one. I like the wooden ones, though. Maybe some eco green yarn as leaves. Would be tedious, but would last a long time.
I went for RED SPOTS ;)
I know it's crazy.
And included it in the play pen so my little toddler (14 months) would not harm it and get harmed either !
http://libelul.com/?p=2332
Jane
we have an artificial tree and have used it for 5 years and will probably use it for several more just because we have it. It seems to be less work and economically cheaper than a real tree.
Its kind of funny but my parents bought the most beautiful real tree this year and everyone that sees it asks if its fake because its so perfect looking!