Real vs Artificial: The Great Christmas Tree Debate

By Eri Matsumura

Each holiday season families are faced with a key decision: are they a real or artificial Christmas tree household? Oftentimes the deciding factor comes down to cost and convenience, while the environmental impact of each option is overlooked. Artificial trees can be reused, thus seeming like a more sustainable option. However, studies show that real Christmas trees are far better for the environment, creating a much lower carbon footprint, supporting tree farms and working forests, and are biodegradable.

Carbon Footprint

One of the most significant environmental benefits of real Christmas trees is that they do not require the excessive carbon emissions that it takes to produce and ship an artificial tree. Most artificial trees require a lot of resources to manufacture. They are typically made with metal components and petroleum based plastics like PVC, a non-biodegradable product that can last thousands of years. These artificial trees are often manufactured overseas and then shipped to market. The Nature Conservatory found that nearly 90% are shipped worldwide from China, emitting around 88lbs of CO2 per tree. It takes around 7-9 years to grow an average sized Christmas tree, during that time the tree is absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, about 6.8lbs per year. This sequestration offsets some of the carbon emissions used to cultivate and transport, particularly if the tree is grown locally. 

Tree Farms and Working Forests 

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, for every real tree harvested on a tree farm, 1 to 3 saplings are planted in its place. This ensures the cycle for clean air and water, wildlife habitats, and healthy soil continues after your tree is cut down. These farms are typically part of a larger land management system that prioritizes sustainable logging and helps preserve open green spaces. When forests are sustainably managed they can provide renewable resources not limited to just Christmas trees, but other wood-made products. A working forest stores as much carbon as an unmanaged forest. Over half the forests in the U.S. are privately owned, so purchasing sustainably sourced forest products can help support communities by providing local jobs in farming, tree harvesting, and transportation. Real tree sales also provide landowners with the income necessary to preserve these forests.

Afterlife of trees

There are plenty of ways to recycle a real tree, giving them life after Christmas. Real trees can be turned into mulch or used for other environmental purposes, such as erosion control or habitat restoration, they can even be donated to be a food source to farm animals like goats. (Fort Collins Nursery typically donates our leftover cut trees to several local goat farms including Mountain View Dairy Goats). In contrast, artificial trees made from synthetic materials are not biodegradable or recyclable. At the end of their lifecycle, which is around 5-10 years depending on the household, they end up in landfills where they take up space and release chemicals and microplastics as they break down over thousands of years.

Alternative Options

If artificial trees are bad for the planet but a real one isn’t a convenient alternative for your household, then what? Fortunately, options aren’t limited to real or fake. You could decorate a tree already planted outside in the garden, just be sure your ornaments can handle the weather. Living options such as a houseplant like the Norfolk pine are a great way to add some life without the hassle of dropping needles. If you’re interested in adding to your landscape, a live and rooted hardy evergreen can act as a Christmas tree for the holidays, and a piece of your landscape when spring comes and you can plant it outside.

While artificial trees offer convenience and sterile perfection, real Christmas trees provide significant environmental benefits that make them a superior option this holiday season. The production and disposal of fake trees create long term environmental challenges that are not easily mitigated. Real trees help with carbon sequestration, are a renewable resource supporting farmers, and are completely recyclable. What’s more, nothing tops the refreshing natural evergreen scent that fills the room when you bring that real tree into your home. After the holiday season is over, you can rest assured that your tree has not only brought joy into your life but also helped the environment in a meaningful way.

Originally published on November 27th, 2024.