For is, it isn't so much a green issue, as it is a judgment on what's more practical. We live in Florida. The live trees are all shipped in from somewhere up north, and are half dead by the time they get here. Even if they still look pretty when you buy them, by Christmas they've turned brown and started dropping needles. So a few years ago, we finally broke down and picked up an artificial tree for dirt cheap in a post-holiday sale.

I prefer the having a live tree . . . but the ease of the artificial one is growing on me.

I'm sorry, but Danny Seo is full of s***. His point about providing a habitat for wildlife and combating global warming is just specious and unsubstantiated. If trees are going to be farmed, they should be put to a functional use, transplanted or just left alone and allowed to grow to maturity for many years. Yes, fake trees have the embodied energy of processing petroleum and shipping from another part of the world. But once it's done, it's done. With a live Christmas tree, you require the input of energy to fell the tree, bind it up (with invariably some kind of plastic netting), haul it through some sort of distribution network, haul it to the house, haul it away from the house and then eventually to some incinerator or woodchipper. And this is EVERY year.

I suspect Danny makes up these ridiculous arguments to help assuage his own environmentally irresponsible behavior.

Its not just processing petroleum products, its the fact that fake trees are non-biodegradable - and what parts of it degrade emit potentially hazardous chemicals into the air.

I live close enough to Christmas tree farms (less than 100 miles) that the transportation factor is smaller than, for example, Florida. And I never buy a tree that has been wrapped in plastic - its usually bound top and bottom in two lengths of twine.

Most states have many Christmas tree farms. They're typically near mono-cultures, which is not good. Where I grew up, they were on perfectly good farmland that was as productive as any other farmland. In fact, the one closest to my house also grew several other crops besides trees.

Christmas trees are also pretty awful animal habitat if the area is not a boreal forest or similar. The local wildlife is adapted to the local ecology. So in southern Pennsylvania, the local wildlife wants a temperate rain forest, with lots of broad leaf deciduous trees, some bushes (mostly at forest edges) and a wide variety of low growing tender green plants. Pine trees just don't fit into that. In central Wisconsin, the native vegetation is prairie and grass covered wetlands. Trees just don't grow well at all, and pines seem to be iffy.

It's never a good idea to force a particular species into enviroments that it's not suited for. Since cut pine trees do not ship well, they need to be grown fairly near where they'll be used. That means that there will always be Christmas tree farms in areas where pines are not a common plant.

We use a fake tree, currently. My preference (for many reasons, including environmental) is a real tree. But we received a hand-me-down tree a few years ago that was still in great condition. It was either going to the landfill, or to our house, when my in-laws decided that they wanted to switch to a real tree.

So we'll use the fakie until it falls apart. ;) Then, I don't know...repurpose the branches for outdoor greenery decor?

Grid, it's true that fake trees are mostly non-biodegradable, but then again, so are many of the ornaments/tinsel used to decorate the tree. But at least these are things that have the potential to be used for many years, if not decades and passed along to others. Also, fake Christmas trees are largely comprised of metal and air. I suspect that if you melted one down, the actual amount of plastic material would be less than what you would find in, say, a plastic chair or two from Ikea, which is a lot more likely to be tossed out than the Christmas tree.

I spend christmas with the family, and we get real trees for traditions sake. However, we preform a complex on-site recycling procedure that I, at least, feel assuages the horrible environmental impact. This procedure involves hacking up the used tree with a chainsaw, and, over time, putting bits into the fire place.
In addition to providing lovely light, heat, and occasionally smores, it smells fantastic!

Ah. We don't use tinsel (never have), and our other ornaments are either handmade or hand-me-down glass bulbs. I'm a bit concerned about metal from China - their environmental records (much less working conditions) are atrocious in terms of smelters and carbon emissions, and the boats that ship goods from Asia are considered the worst transport polluters in the world. They are exempt from any fuel standards imposed over the past thirty years.

I've been opting out of plastics in our house (no plastic Ikea, for example) so that is not a concern for me.

Our city recycles the trees for use, as one example, as chips for trails in public parks and ravines (rather than putting down asphalt) as well as in our organic recycling program, and the land around us that is used for tree growing is, for the most part, naturally rocky and coniferous. But this has made me think about investigating the tree farms here and seeing if I can find one or two that are more environmentally sensitive to the area than others. Hm.

So many "green" arguments seem to be based on the assumption that people throw things out much more often than anyone I know ever has.

My parents have used the same faux tree for at least 30 years now. Surely the energy to produce it, amortized over 30 years, is a lot lower than the environmental impact of hauling a tree down from the Sierras every year, then disposing of the live tree through the city wood-chipping program.

Our little 2' fake probably consumed fewer resources than what's needed to bring a real tree to Phoenix for just two or three years. I'm not sure I've ever seen a live Xmas tree lot here, come to think of it.

My understanding is that pine trees don't combat global warming the way deciduous trees that "breathe" (losing leaves every fall, and regrowing in the spring do...). In fact, the pine needles release nitrogren oxide into the air...

Anyway, I use a fake aluminum tree that I bought on ebay.

Here's an abc news story...
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s804613.htm

Unless someone's done a full lifecylce analysis on this, I think we're all making a lot of assumptions in trying to decide between the two. I read in treehugger that you can "rent" a live tree in SF and portland. I don't have the link, but you should be able to search it on thier site.

The San Francisco program's trees are not standard Xmas trees. Your choices are Southern magnolia, Strawberry tree, water gum, or New Zealand Christmas tree. As you can see from the Wikipedia links, these are great street trees for SF's climate but nothing like your traditional pine or fir.

I grew up with live trees and can't imagine having anything else. That said, I just don't have one. My boyfriend and I decorate with a carved wood tabletop tree, a few stockings, a handmade wreath, and a some childhood ornaments passed on when I moved out, stacked in a hurricane. My sister decks the halls in a similar way. We get our fix at my parents' place, where they still have a live tree every year. Once the holidays are over, the trunk becomes firewood and the clippings end up in my father's compost pile. It's tradition, yes, but in the most responsible way possible.

Just bear in mind that burning wood as fuel increases air pollution compared to using other fuels.

ahh, i knew it was only a matter of time....

most christmas tree farms use very responsible methods of replanting etc (it's in their interest to do so). buying a real tree, which has been grown from a renewable source, such as a farm, is no different from buying potatoes that have been grown specifically for market.

in fact, a real tree is a much more responsible choice because after the season is over, it can be totally recycled (there are drop off locations all over the city, including in Inwood Hill Park), leaving virtually no waste.

on the other hand, fake trees made of polyethylene and other toxic plastics cause far worse environmental damage (both in their manufacturing and in their inevitable landfill space). kinda like driving an suv.

my live christmas tree will have provided oxygen and clean air during its life, and will provide mulch and fertilizer after it's life is over. it will have been grown specifically for consumption, and when it is removed from the ground, another tree will be put in its place.

there are very few products you can consume that are beneficial to the environment before you consume them, and then are beneficial after you consume them as well.

if you're going to have a tree and you are environmentally conscious, then a real tree is the only responsible choice.

There is also the option to have a live tree and then plant it outside, provided you live outside of the city in the right climate. My parents did this for several trees. My mom would then decorate each live tree planted with lights in the following years. (they live on Cape Cod.)

You could not have a tree and decorate something else. We had a big houseplant in college that we strung lights on.

My neighbor puts lights on her pot rack.

reversibleraincoat--You may want to rethink burning pine logs in your fireplace. From what I understand, pine logs give off a resin that can coat the inside of your chimney and then catch on fire. I believe they're much more dangerous than other types of wood. I commend your efforts at repurposing the tree, but just be careful. You might want to do a quick internet search before burning more pine in the fireplace.

I am no environmental expert, so I won't comment on the merit of each...I do prefer real trees because I don't really see the point of fake ones. However, I am a self-hating fake tree owner. I bought one when I had my first apartment about 9 years ago and figure I'll just keep on using that even though it doesn't even really remotely resemble a tree. There's no fooling anyone with this thing! I had a real one one year and vowed I'd never go through that hassle again, though I'm tempted by the wafting smell of pine at the tree stands.

My parents get a real tree and every year my dad cuts it down at a local tree farm. Honestly, the thing's composted, and the money is going to a local guy and takes very little energy to transport, so I don't see the big deal there...but like I said, I'm no expert (and I imagine no one else here is either!)

I live in northern michigan- I am surrounded by tree farms. Here trees are planted in many areas where other crops won't grow. And animals do live and thrive in tree farms. Deer, foxes, squirrels- tons of birds- they all live in and near Christmas tree farms.
If we didn't have all these tree farms, we would have a lot more houses- and all the people in those houses would have to commute to go to work. I would much rather live by tree farms.
We always have a locally grown live Christmas tree at our home. We go to a farm that doesn't paint their trees. Yes, trees are painted (around August) - they say that it helps with moisture and keeps them attractive during shipment.

At the end of the season- we take the tree down to our woods and leave it to be a bird habitat. In the spring-after the tree has dried a little- we mulch it.

I'm a little surprised by the animosity of the some of the comments. I buy my Christmas tree from a local farm. Generations of this family have owned and farmed the land (not just trees, but apples, corn, etc.) for over 100 years. If this farm goes out of business, the land will go to developers who will destroy its natural beauty by building McMansions and condo complexes, as has happened with much of New England. Whenever possible, I'm more than happy to support local farmers.

this is my first time having a real tree. i grew up with nasty artificial ones.

i opted for a potted evergreen. i decorated it festively & am keeping it healthy & alive until the season is over. then i will plant it outside so it can live out the rest of its life as something other than a christmas tree.

Nothing beats the retro-chic of my vintage Aluminum tree.
Made in 1957, it's had 50 years of environmental goodness to its merit.

Plus, nothing speaks more to the birth of our Lord and Saviour like a bright and shiny tree with a multi-color light wheel!

I'm disappointed, but not surprised, at the vitriol of some of the commenters as well.

Just get a rosemary tree, then after the holidays, eat it!

For years I'd wanted to get a live, potted tree and plant it after the holidays. Being a single parent with only my income, the cost was always prohibitive, and we'd mostly lived either in urban areas (So Cal, Phoenix) or areas where they didn't occur naturally (Bullhead City, AZ).

Years ago I bought 4 fake 2ft high trees that I place around the house and decorate with different themes. After at least 15 years they're still in great shape, and I'll probably use them right up to my last Christmas. I love the smell of real trees, but not the mess and hassle of disposal.

Environmental impact? Probably a lot less than my daily commute to work.

Since either option has some downsides environment-wise, best to pick the one you can live with. I feel helpless and angry when I think about the whole Chinese factory-Big box discounter store schlock axis that is strangling our planet, so I opt out whenever possible - that means for me, live trees are more palatable than factory-made. I love the tradition of bringing a live tree into my home, the scent of pine invoking the alchemy of festivity and contemplation that comes with the passing of another year. Even sweeping up all those dry needles afterwards has a chop-wood, carry-water meditative quality that invites reflection. Christmas ornaments are somewhat problematic (that source problem again), so I'm limiting commercial ornaments to the ones I already have, plus special ones from childhood - the angels my grandmother sewed from flannel scraps, a couple that I embroidered from kits when I was a teenager, the smoky blue glass ball that was my greatgrandmother's. Tonight, then, I'm going to hike four blocks to the French Canadian guys who show up in NYC every year to set up Xmas tree stands in the streets and drag home a 6-footer (tree, that is) - it's a bit like buying a huge bouquet once a year for me and my ancestors.

Beautifully said, KarenH.

Not to be a grinch or anything, but is a tree even necessary? If we're feeling particularly festive, we'll unpack the ornaments that hold sentimental value and decorate the ficus.

My sister nagged me for years about how unsafe a live tree is (according to her, a dreadful fire risk, even well watered). She had a house fire a few years back, so she's hyper conscious of anything that might be a fire risk. Is it true that a fake tree is safer than real? that I don't know. I'm super good about not leaving the tree lights on, unplugging it when I go to bed.

Between that and the fact that there was a sale and for the same size tree, it turned out to be about ten bucks cheaper to get a fake, I bought a fake. In my neck of the woods, so to speak, it can be up to $70 for a nice, real tree. The fake tree was $60. So, anyways, I have a fake tree. I might as well use it, rather than sinking $70 or so into something I'm going to get rid of in less than a month. So, I'll admit that a live tree might be better environmentally, but in some things, I'm just too cheap.

We always had a fake tree growing up, because Mom and some of the kids [myself included] have allergies. When my parents divorced, Dad decided to have a real tree...and all the kids got sick. When you have a well-insulated house full of fresh tree...gah. Sneezy central.

Now I have this cute little Charlie Brown tree from Urban Outfitters. It's tiny, takes up no space, used very little resources, and will be reused for the rest of my life because it is adorable.

Real trees absorb CO2 during the time they grow.