Okay which is better for the environment? Cutting a christmas tree each year or buying an artificial one?

Question

I know planting a live one is best, but that is not one of my options.

I know that trees are killed if you get a cut one, but it may not have been planted in the first place if it was not intended to be cut as a christmas tree

Answer 1

I personally think that real Xmas trees are best, but it depends on your perspective of waste. A good point was made that some of the trees that are ultimately used for holiday purposes may not have been planted in the first place. Besides, trees are a renewable resource.

Artificial trees, though they may be used for decades, eventually will be thrown away. Since most artificial trees are made from cheap and effective Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) they are not biodegradable and have been cited as dioxin releasing sources.

If you do have an artificial tree, use it as long as you can, and when it's time for a new one, try giving it away before putting it on the curb (freecycle, anyone?) That's how I got mine!

Answer 2

Most christmas trees you buy in north america, were planted and grown specifically for that purpose, so I don't think it makes that much of a difference to the environment. What is not so nice is when people go out into the forest, and cut down a tree themselves. If you want to cut a live tree, go to a christmas tree farm or just buy a tree, at least then your getting a tree that would be cut down anyways.

Answer 3

Cutting is better because once it's cut and used, it's re-used as mulch which helps other plants grow. I was worried about this too, but the family business in my neighborhood plants a new tree for every one they cut, and they use the mulch for hte new trees. The artificial trees are pretty good too, but they use up energy, oil (because oil is in plastic) and I don't think they're recyclable. If they are, then that's awesome!
Both are good, but I'd go with getting a real tree. They make the house smell nice and add this nice vibe...nothing compares to the real thing.

Answer 4

Ok...This could be either.

A. Trees are planted each year to be cut down and sold. If you don't buy them, they die. I like to buy real trees with roots and then replant them after christmas is done. There is good feeling when you can plant it and then for years to come watch it grow and grow and I feel like I saved a tree that would have just died on a lot somewhere because someone didn't want it. Plus having a live tree helps to teach the young ones about trees. I teach the children about watering plants and how plants work and they just LOVE planting them and watching them grow. It's a memory they have forever.

B. Plastic trees are good for the environment bc you don't cut down trees each year but did you buy a recycled plastic tree :P

Answer 5

A tree farm is not a forest. Have you ever seen one that is abandoned for a few years? You'd think that it was simply revert to nature, but it doesn't. They are sick, and brown, and no other animals or plants can live in them. It is a monospieces biome desert, and a fire hazard. Regardless of whether they are planted for the purpose or not, trees are living beings that are decades old and should not be wasted to decorate your house for a month. It's obsene. If you want to decorate a live tree, leave it living outside your house like the pagans did, and worship the spirit that keeps it living in the face of the harshest winter.

Plastic trees use our precious petroleum. If it was recycled plastic, and then recycled again, it might not be so bad.

I use a scupture made of willow wands in the shape of a tree sized cone with a star on top, made by a local artist, which we store in the garage when not in use. The willow is of a kind that animals don't eat, it's renewable, and didn't harm the tree it was taken from. We decorate it every year with live boughs of cedar, fir, and holly, again taken responsibly from the plants that produce them. It gives the size, scent, goodwill, and respect for life that the season is supposed to be celebrating.

We can even put our presents underneath.

P.S. I have in fact used a potted one in years past, but they are usually not viable, being mass produced and cheap to boot. And do you have enough land to plant one every year?

Answer 6

I think it is probably a wash. Artificial trees don't literally last forever and will eventually end up in a landfill as well as have some manufacturing costs. Real trees are typically grown on farms that might be clear cut for develop anyways, so they aren't harmful from that perspective. They do however have to be trucked from the farm to the tree lot, then driven from the tree lot to your house, and then (hopefully) have a special pickup by the city after Christmas for recycling/composting, which all mean extra fuel consumption.

Answer 7

A "Real Tree" smells great for awhile, looks real 'cause it is, is inexpensive, & requires no off-season storage.

However, it is a fire hazard, drops needles, requires disposal, & may have an insect in it as ours did one year. It was large, and zoomed out when I put it in the stand. Also, you have to look for quite awhile at the tree lot to find the best size and look for you.

Artificial trees are of differing quality, with some made to last for a very long time. Some are pre-lit, which hides the cords well. The best buys seem to be at web sites, i.e.: http://christmas-depot.com/ & http://www.treeclassics.com/productfamily.asp
You choose the size & look you want.

However, they require storage & the best ones cost alot. Off-season sales save much $$$ at onlline stores. We use 2 artificial trees, 1 non-prelit white, & 1 prelit green. Ho-ho-ho!

Answer 8

Real trees are the way to go:
- they produce oxygen and rid the air of carbon dioxide, thereby reducing the earth-warming greenhouse effect;
- they provide an aesthetically pleasing improvement to the land and bring value to portions of land which could not be used to grow other crops;
- they serve as wildlife habitat
- they are naturally biodegradable; and
- they are a renewable resource.
Many regions have collection programs in place to put your recycled Christmas trees to good use.
They also smell so much better than plastic!

Answer 9

Having a plastic tree initially has ill effects on our environment, but then reusing it year after year I would say can offset the effects. The real problem is keeping the tree in good shape until next year. Keep the box it came in because that will most likely be where you store it until next year.

http://www.topsavings.net

Answer 10

Well, first of all, having live trees in the home can easily give you allergies, even if you never had them before. Second, of course buying an artificial one is better because you can reuse it every year.