Real vs. Fake-- Which Christmas Tree is the Greener Choice?

By Joyce Ng

Arcardia High School

It’s here. December is finally upon us and Christmas is right around the corner. And with Christmas, comes its forever cherished friend, the Christmas tree. Since the 20th century, this evergreen conifer has appeared on the market in two main forms: real and artificial. While some adore the fresh pine scent and the custom of bringing one home, others favor the neatness of the plastic variety. But the question is, which one’s more eco-friendly?

In recent decades, the artificial Christmas tree has greatly increased in popularity. According to a survey for the American Christmas Tree Association, three-quarters of American households display a tree-- and an overwhelming majority, nearly 80%, are manufactured. And understandably so.

Fake trees are many times considered less work, as Claire Kang, a sophomore at Troy HS states, “my family finds artificial trees more [accessible and] convenient”.

People may also add that they are better for the environment. “My family has a fake Christmas tree every year,” says Eunice Kim, a junior at Cypress High School. “I prefer fake Christmas trees because they’re more sustainable and consistent.”

So with all that said, artificial trees must be the better choice, right? Surprisingly, this isn’t necessarily the case.

Studies have actually shown that artificial Christmas trees usually have a relatively high carbon footprint. In fact, Dr. John Kazer from Carbon Trust disclosed that a two-meter fake Christmas tree released about 40kg of greenhouse gas emissions-- over twice the amount of a real tree that ends its life in a landfill and more than 10 times that of a real tree that is burnt-- due to the way it was made.

In the U.S., The Nature Conservancy estimates that roughly 10 million artificial trees are purchased each season, with around 90% of them shipped globally from China. This results in a rise in carbon emissions and consumption of resources. Not to mention, most of these trees are constructed from non-recyclable and possibly toxic materials such as PVC and steel.

Now while it is true that fake trees are much more reusable compared to real ones, Dr. Kazer tells the BBC, “You would need to reuse it for at least 10 Christmases to keep its environmental impact lower than that of a real tree.” And according to research conducted in 2017, 14% of people who opted for the plastic alternative said that they would be discarding it after one use.

But if the statistics weren’t already enough, buying real trees supports and keeps Christmas tree farms in business. Additionally, only 30 million trees out of the 350-500 million growing on farms across the U.S. are harvested each year, so purchases also help to maintain healthy forest habitats that wildlife rely on for survival.

Furthermore, a majority of states in America have organizations that recycle donated Christmas trees for conservation projects in local communities. In contrast, artificial trees are normally not recyclable and quite inevitably end up in landfills.

Often the centerpiece of arguably the most festive holiday of the year, the Christmas tree is a holiday staple in homes all across the country. However, with concerns on climate change growing more and more as time passes, it would also be nice to end the year as eco-conscious as possible. One way being to bring home an authentic evergreen.

But if you already have a fake Christmas tree sitting in your home, don’t fret. Just try to use it for as long as you can and when it comes time to replace it, consider making your Christmas holiday greener with a real tree.