Real or Faux: Which Christmas Tree is Greener?
Who doesn’t love the sight of a beautifully decorated Christmas tree and the rich warm scent of pine on Christmas morning? However, sensitive souls may feel a twinge of guilt around the tannenbaum. Concerns of deforestation, chainsaw exhaust and homeless forest animals huddled together for warmth have led many to switch to artificial Christmas trees. In fact, 80% of households displaying a Christmas tree chose an artificial one. But is artificial really better?
There is a huge market for all kinds of elaborate, pre-lit, realistic trees. Over 90% of these trees are produced in China and are composed of metal and fossil fuel-derived plastics, PVC and PE. Artificial trees are non-recyclable and non-biodegradable. Each artificial tree has an average carbon-footprint of 88.2 lbs. They are re-usable, but need to be used for 10-12 years to offset their carbon footprint. Even then, if thrown away they will languish in a landfill for over a hundred years. They are non-allergenic though, which is nice for those suffering from pine allergies.
Over 95% of real Christmas trees are grown on farms. It takes ~8 years to grow a Christmas tree to its desired height of 7-8 feet. The USA grows ~350 million Christmas trees, but less than 1% of these trees are harvest each year for Christmas. That means that the Christmas tree farm industry essentially supports acres and acres of carefully managed forests that reduce soil erosion, store carbon and provide habitats for animals. If you’re worried about kicking woodland creatures out of their home, worry not; there are plenty of trees left standing, and 1-3 seedlings are planted for every tree harvested.
The carbon footprint of a real Christmas tree is ~7.7 lbs, the same produced by driving a car 10 miles. If the tree is sent to a landfill to degrade, the footprint increases to ~35.2 lbs. If the tree is composted, the footprint remains low. In fact, real trees are quite useful post-Christmas. They can be mulched or repurposed for conservation or habitat projects. They can be sunk into lakes to make reefs for fish or set up in areas to provide winter shelters for birds and other small animals.
For the biggest ecological bang for your buck, it’s good to support local tree farms, where families can go and pick out their own tree.
So put your cut Christmas tree guilt to rest. Buying a real tree is all around better for the environment, but the good news is that whether your tree is fake or real, I hear St. Nick will still leave presents under it.
Brian Rutter, PhD, is the cofounder of Thing in a Pot Productions and a postdoctoral researcher in plant biology at Indiana University. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our “Things About Things – Odd Facts About Plants” and video production tips in your inbox every month!
Works Cited:
Chastagner, Gary A., and D. Michael Benson. "The Christmas tree: Traditions, production, and diseases." Plant Health Progress 1.1 (2000): 15.
Mabee, Warren. “Oh Christmas Tree… Fake Christmas Tree?” YES! Magazine, 23 December 2019, https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2019/12/23/christmas-tree-buy/, accessed 05 December 2020.
“Real vs. Fake—Which Christmas tree is better for the environment? Why choosing a real Christmas tree helps nature.” The Nature Conservancy, 03 December 2019, https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/protect-water-and-land/land-and-water-stories/real-vs-fake-christmas-tree/, accessed 05 December 2020.
Zraick, Karen. “Real vs. Artificial Christmas Trees: Which Is the Greener Choice?” The New York Times, 26 November 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/26/business/energy-environment/fake-christmas-tree-vs-real-tree.html, accessed 05 December 2020.
