Why Real Trees Are Better Than Fake Ones
The choice between real and artificial Christmas trees is largely a matter of personal preference: do you want the cozy pine scent and hellish cleaning or recessed lights without any personal touch, but without a needle on the floor? However, aside from personal preference, there is someone who probably cares: Mother Earth.
Don’t assume that cutting down trees for a few weeks of a holiday is like cutting down a forest in a dangerous way. Apartment Therapy notes that Christmas tree production is actually remarkably sustainable, with Christmas tree farms “providing clean air and water, an important habitat for wildlife, and erosion control,” with only about 10% of the trees harvested annually. (These facts are courtesy of Bill Ulfelder, CEO of The Nature Conservancy .)
On the other hand, artificial trees need to be produced and transported – real trees are transported too, but you will have to use your artificial tree for about twenty Christmas holidays before it becomes a better environmental bet than a real tree. This is bad news for most fake tree lovers, as the average life span of fake tree is more than roughly six years, and especially for people who love fancy fake trees – you want your tree to survive its quirks.
From an ecological point of view, it is best to buy a real tree from the largest possible local farm. Indulge your fancy urges with decorations, and recycle the tree at the end of the season – many towns and cities organize collecting fees to turn trees into mulch or compost. Let your tree be a gift that never stops giving.
The mistake all owners of fake trees make | Apartment therapy