Environmental Benefits of REAL Christmas Trees

Real Christmas trees provide a plethora of benefits to the environment, and our farmers go the extra mile to ensure natural resources are preserved for future generations. Check out these facts on the environmental impact of real Christmas trees:

While growing, real trees produce significant amounts of oxygen that is released into the environment, protect soil from erosion and provide refuge for wildlife.
Real Christmas trees are the best environmental option for consumers, according to former Greenpeace President Patrick Moore, Ph.D.
Pacific Northwest Christmas trees are grown on sustainable farms in the U.S., just like produce, nuts and other crops, so they do not threaten natural forests.
Real Christmas trees reduce carbon emissions by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, which people, plants and the environment need to survive.
Real Christmas trees are renewable, and growers plant one or more trees to replace every tree they harvest.
Many times, Christmas trees are grown in soil that won’t support other crops.

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

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Opening the day after Thanksgiving!
Weekdays: 3:30pm – 8:00pm
Weekends: 9:00am – 5:30pm

Location

749 West El Camino Real
Mountain View, CA 94040
Corner of Castro & El Camino
Chase Bank Parking Lot (next to Clarke’s)

Email

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