As you prepare for this year’s Christmas holiday season, you may have good reasons to think about getting an artificial tree. After all, Real trees are costly, and a Fake tree is a one-time expense. Real trees drop needles that migrate to all corners of the house, while a Fake tree does not. Some children and adults are allergic to the pollens brought into the house by Real trees, but not to the supposedly sterile materials of a Fake tree. Let’s take a look at some of the common myths and Realities of this classic debate, so you can make a more informed and conscientious decision when you choose your Christmas tree this year.
Real Christmas trees are a natural, renewable resource, and have a fragrance beyond compare! For every farm-grown Real Christmas tree that is harvested, 1 to 3 more seedlings are planted to sustain future harvests. While the seedlings are growing into trees for the next 7 to 10 years, they help to counterbalance the carbon dioxide produced by modern industry. One acre of Christmas trees can absorb more than 11,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually and provide enough oxygen for 18 people each and every day. With 500,000 acres of Christmas trees growing in the US, Real trees can be considered critical to human survival. Christmas tree farms are often located in areas that would otherwise be unplanted, and since they are so hardy, often grown in mountainous regions, Real Christmas trees can be planted on slopes where few other crops will grow, thus contributing substantially to the local economy.
On the other hand, Fake trees are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a petroleum-based plastic, which is both non-renewable and polluting and which emits an unhealthy number of carcinogens. Additionally, the lead and other additives used by manufacturers to make the PVC tree needles more flexible have been linked to liver, kidney, neurological, and reproductive system damage in laboratory experiments on animals. In fact, the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition has warned that Fake trees "may shed lead-laced dust, which may cover branches or shower gifts and the floor below the tree." Some artificial trees have warning labels about their lead content, and it must be noted that 85% of the Fake trees imported into the US each year come from China, a country with a less-than-stellar record when it comes to the use of lead in the products it exports.
It’s certainly true that some Christmas tree farms use pesticides and chemicals for pest control and to speed growth, and that when it comes time for delivering those Real trees to Christmas tree lots, they must be transported by truck to local communities. While some truck transportation is part of the supply line, it’s likely a much shorter trip and one that burns much less fuel than importing artificial trees from China. And there is the added bonus of supporting a local business as opposed to buying a foreign import.
While a Fake tree might be used for 5 or 10 years, eventually it will in fact be replaced with a newer or different model. Since old artificial trees are not biodegradable and cannot be recycled, disposing of them has a substantial negative impact on the environment. If placed in a landfill, they will live intact forever. If burned, they will emit dioxins and other carcinogens into the very air we breathe.
But a Real tree can be recycled after the holidays in a variety of ways. When planted outside after the holidays, a balled and burlapped Real Christmas tree contributes to the natural environment in a variety of ways by becoming part of the natural landscape and ecology surrounding your home. Alternatively, the branches and trunks of cut trees can be chipped into mulch that provides a protective barrier for the roots of other plants and vegetation while preventing weeds from growing. The mulch then decomposes, providing the nutrients plants need. Recycled Real Christmas trees also can be used to fight soil and sand erosion at nearby beaches and in ponds, lakes, and riverbeds, thus protecting water resources and providing refuge for wildlife. On land, they provide winter shelter and feeding stations for birds and other animals. |
