Comments on: Should You Choose A Real or Artificial Tree?

By: Linda

Linda — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 22:16:27 +0000

After my parents passed away, I then possessed two artificial trees; one that I purchased in 1991, and theirs, purchased in 1971. They both still looked good. So I donated theirs to charity in 2006. Last season (2010) I decided that mine was “shedding” too much to keep any longer. The branches are basically, mostly bare metal now (a Martha Stewart type of washing finished it off). But what to do with it? Waste Management, our rubbish collector, supposedly can reclaim metals in trash with large magnets. The rest…well, I tried.
My solution was to inform my adult children that we would no longer have a decorated Christmas tree as of this year. Deal. Some traditions die hard. The earth/world no longer can support the tradition of conspicuous consumption that the holiday has evolved to become over the years. And I am a religious person saying this.
When/if they have children, the new tradition will be other, more meaningful activities. And I will continue to decorate the entrance and back of our condo with pine bows/ wreaths/ and garland from local garden centers. (At the end of the season, I clip off the wire, which is recycled, and plastic “string”, and use the boughs for mulch in my landscaping, then compost.
So much of what we Americans think we need is just an “aping” of the European upper classes of the last centuries, e.g. large dogs as pets. But I digress…

By: Natural vs Synthetic Christmas Trees: Which Is Better? » Jake and Ella

Natural vs Synthetic Christmas Trees: Which Is Better? » Jake and Ella — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 23:16:31 +0000

[...] so it takes quite a bit of fossil fuel just to bring them to your neighborhood big-box store, according to the Sierra Club. Also, the trees are made of plastic, meaning oil, more specifically polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or [...]

By: Luis R

Luis R — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:13:41 +0000

The above article makes sense if the tree farm is near you. I live in Puerto Rico were natural trees are also imported because there are no farms here to produce them. They must be imported from Canada or some US states in refrigerated containers. While the carbon footprint of the cargo ship is significantly smaller due to being much closer to the source than China, there is the added carbon footprint from the diesel generators used by the container chiller units. Many places selling the trees use the same containers for storage purposes also, so they keep the units running all the time, probably for weeks. In our case down here, it is most likely better for the environment to use artificial trees that will last many years than a natural tree each year.

By: Andy

Andy — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:51:22 +0000

last two years I have not had any christmas tree. I think thats the best way to avoid all the carbon footprint all together.
I have a small pine (indoor decorative) in the house , it is a living tree that I decorate for christmas.

By: Drew

Drew — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:18:39 +0000

I am composting a friend’s Christmas, and I think the tree may have been sprayed with something that turned the bark green and kept the tree green much longer than usual. Has anyone heard of trees being sprayed with green pigment?

By: Jay

Jay — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:42:39 +0000

While I can appreciate the education aspect of this topic I believe it is not best to take this article as complete gospel. It is good to know the pros and cons of this issue and consider your own situation before making a judgment of what is best rather than assuming that this information can be applied across the board. In places like Oregon, Washington and New England buying a real tree every year probably is the best way to go. But if you live in the desert southwest or Florida or somewhere that does not have many tree farms then perhaps a real tree is not the best option given transportation emissions and costs. Plus what about the emissions of chainsaws used to cut down all those trees? Buying an artificial tree does not have to be new – you can buy from Craigslist or other second-hand shops. I think this issue is a little more complicated than presented. Use your own critical thinking skills before assuming anything is 100% accurate or appropriate for your life situation.

By: forestdweller

forestdweller — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:07:07 +0000

When I was growing up in the 70s, we used a branch for a Christmas tree– the same one every year. My father spray-painted it white to make it look snowy, and we loaded it up with ornaments. We loved it. When we children were a little older, we asked why we didn’t have a pine tree like our friends had, and my father explained that it was wrong to kill a tree just for a month’s decoration.

He was right then, and even more right today. Mature trees take more carbon out of the air than young ones do, so this idea that tree farms are environmentally friendly is hogwash. Also, with more people in the world, and more farmland needed to feed them, why should we be using up more land for a monocrop? Monocrops are not useful to nature in all its diversity.

Will the author of this article please answer to some of these points?

Please, buy a living tree that you can plant. Or decorate your home with wreaths, or use a branch instead of a whole tree!

By: Gloria

Gloria — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:20:29 +0000

I bought a star pine in a pot 15 years ago. For the first 3 years I brought the pot in the house, then on the 4th year I cut the top 6 ft for the house. The pot looked ratty the 5th year, so I bought a second star pine. Now, between the two of them I always have at least one nice tree every year, either with the pot or cut. Most years I have an extra cut tree to share. The rest of the year I have nice patio plants.
Transportation costs – 5 minutes with the dolly.
Tree costs – timed dripper irrigation, 1-14 times per week in dry season, depending on weather
This can be done with other conifers that can be grown in pots.

By: Linda C.

Linda C. — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:00:38 +0000

This is a reply to GEORGIA: How fortunate you are to have a huge and beautiful Norfolk Pine in your yard. It breaks my heart to think that you would have someone come and cut it down. Let the tree live out its life! It is not a thing, but a living entity. If it’s healthy, it won’t come crashing down and hurt anyone or your house.
We have been buying rooted trees for Xmas for 30 years, and we have a huge Blue Spruce next to our house that was our Xmas tree at one time. That Spruce is one of my best friends. Please think twice before cutting your Norfolk Pine. Give it a big hug,instead!
with love to you and your Pine — Linda C.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:55:52 +0000

I think this was a good article. Obviously those who read this at all are more environmentally conscious, hence, their artificial trees last much longer than the norm. This article needs to be passed on to those who do not subscribe to Sierra Club in the first place, those who don’t think twice about throwing away a perfectly usable artificial tree (referring to the person who found one in the trash!).

As for tree farms, Jessica C. could stand to be educated a little more on the subject. Trees do not grow big enough to be cut in a year! No matter how much fertilizer is used! There are plenty of farms that do NOT use pesticides. It does not take alot of chemicals to grow trees. Also, I know of no place that has clear-cut woods to plant a tree farm. Often, a field that cannot be used for growing much else is used to grow Christmas trees. As for wilidlife, I highly doubt birds, squirrels, and other such animals care if their homes are in perfect rows or grow wild. And deer and rabbits sure don’t seem to mind living there either. My father has a heck-of-a-time keeping them away from the young trees! The tree farms are never left bare every December, because the trees are not all planted at the same time, so they are not all cut at the same time. Otherwise, the farmer would have nothing to sell the next year.

So, if you have to have an artificial tree, make it last a long, long time. But no matter how many real trees you buy, they will never end up in a landfill. And buy local trees if they are available.

Happy Holidays!