Each holiday season, there are news articles, web sites and commentators who debate whether it is better for the environment to use an artificial Christmas tree or a natural Christmas tree. This can often be confusing to consumers who want to make an eco-friendly choice, but can’t find a simple, straight-forward “apples to apples” comparison. The table below illustrates that Real Christmas Trees are the best environmental choice.

Real Trees	Artificial Trees
PLACE OF ORIGIN
United States & Canada	85% from China
METHOD OF PRODUCTION
farming	factory
planting takes place Jan-May	raw materials sent to factory & assembled into final product
estimated 40-45 million trees planted in 2008 in North America	product is shipped to U.S. then distributed to stores
estimated 446 million trees growing on farms in U.S.	number of factories unknown
tree farms support complex eco-systems	factories only consume natural resources
COMPONENTS
plant tissue	plastics and metals
100% biodegradable	non-biodegradable
PVC FREE?
Yes	No
LEAD FREE?
Yes	No (lead is used in the process of making PVC plastic)
CARBON NEUTRAL?
Yes	No
trees absorb carbon dioxide	plastic is a petroleum byproduct
when decomposing, carbon, nitrogen and other elements are released into soil
CHEMICALS?
No	Yes
Scientists have measured cut Christmas trees for chemical residue and not found any significant amounts	PVC itself is a dangerous chemical
Many different bugs, fungi and parasites can attack and kill trees, so farmers may use pesticides to keep consumers' trees healthy and alive until harvest	Manufacture of PVC creates and disperses dioxins, the most toxic man-made chemical known
Most pesticides are ground applied	Released into air or water, dioxins enter the food chain, where they accumulate in fatty tissues of animals and humans, a potential risk for causing cancer, damaging immune functions and impairing children's development
Herbicides are used to suppress, not kill off, weeds to prevent soil erosion
If someone tells you “there are chemicals on cut Christmas trees” they are wrong
DISPOSAL
Recycled	Landfill
Used trees can be recycled in a variety of ways	Fake trees can’t be recycled and end up in landfills
Decomposing trees add nutrients back into the earth	All of the accumulated fake trees are a burden to the environment indefinitely
RENEWABLE RESOURCE?
Yes	No
New trees are planted every year	Petroleum, used to make plastic, is a non-renewable resource, as are metals
ECO-FRIENDLY?
Yes	No