Should You Buy a Real or Fake Christmas Tree?

There are many species who rely on holes in the forest - plant, animal, bird and insect species - for whom the growing and careful harvesting of christmas trees is a great boost to their habitat. A christmas tree farm is not generally rows and rows of monoculture, it is part of the local ecosystem and provides shelter and food for many creatures who can depend that year after year, although the individual trees there change, this will still be good habitat!

The city of Berkeley picks up the discarded trees at the curb. It is added to the greenwaste and made into compost . I too love that Douglas Fir smell!

I would amend the article to say that real "living" trees are the the best, followed by real "dead" trees. I've been getting real "live" trees for 25 years and planting them every spring. Twenty have survived and continue to absorb CO2 while providing homes, food and shelter for many critters. Had these been harvested trees, they would now be releasing CO2 as they decompose. So living is really the best way to go.

The simple fact is that both kind of trees are eventually thrown away. The real one immediately, the fake one a few years down the road. However, the fake tree is still in the dump for decades releasing toxins as it breaks down. Fake trees have a longer "life" up-front, being used for a few years, if lucky. But, all foreign cheaply made plastic products do NOT last long enough to pass down to your children. Current products are made with a short life on purpose, it's called planned obsolescence, to encourage consumerism. Fake trees break and become useless to pass along.

Real trees rot and return to nature. They do not take up more water than barren ground without a tree. The root system actually prevents water run-off and soil erosion. The oxygen they give off is important to the environment. Modern Christmas trees are farmed, not taken from old forests. A huge percentage of waste removal companies, shred the trees from trash pickup and use as mulch for local public works.

Both real and fake trees can be a fire hazard. But a fake tree when burning, releases dioxin which makes a house fire even more dangerous. I have used both real and fake. I didn't consider the environment when making my choice. It was about money available at the time and about convenience. Which is sadly how most choices are made. But science shows the real tree is a much better choice for long-term effect.

So use your fake tree, and don't feel guilty about it... until it's time to throw it away.

I couldn't disagree more with this assessment! The issue is not global warming but all of the resources, especially water, needed to grow trees that will be discarded in a few short weeks. Artificial trees do not have to end up in landfills They may be handed down to children, or given away to Goodwill or Freecycle for others to utilize for decades.