Christmas Tree Conflict: A Look Into the History and Environmental Impact of Christmas Trees
As the holidays approach, the Christmas tree's origins and future in a world concerned with climate change comes into question.
Tall, bristled, deep green, and trunks sticky with sap, the Christmas tree is an iconic holiday figure. For many Americans the holidays do not start until a tree has been picked from a local Christmas tree lot or unboxed from the attic to be set up and adorned in garland and ornaments. Throughout history trees have been cut from forests, farmed, and shipped in from China.
The efforts an individual can make to contribute less to global warming and leave a smaller carbon footprint, has many people reexamining their daily lives. From turning lights off, going vegan or limiting individual trash production there are manageable ways to be more green. The holidays are a time of great waste in America. Reevaluating holiday practices, such as what kind of Christmas tree to buy, is another step to take in this effort.
Real Christmas trees are typically bought cut-your-own style from a farm, at a local lot or from a major retail store such as Walmart or Lowes. Many people would think that buying from a corporation versus a family-business would be bad for the environment. Actually, these corporations buy their trees from farmers in the area, they do not grow their own.
There was at time where Christmas trees were cut from forests, but due to threats in population, Christmas tree farms began. The process of farming a Christmas tree is similar to how produce is grown. The Christmas tree is made to be cut, just as potatoes are grown to be eaten. There is a cyclical nature to Christmas tree production. Small farms want to continue production and take practices to keep their business alive.
"The one thing I do know is that we [Idyllwood Farms] plant a tree everytime we cut a tree down." said Josh Newsome, employee at Idyllwood Farms. "So we replenish the trees in to the earth, it treats land really well".
With real trees the environmental impact comes to how the tree is disposed of. Tossing a real tree in a landfill can create harmful biomass. Looking for local recycling programs for disposing of a real tree, is the best way to make choosing a live tree the greenest option. Two methods are using the trees for mulch or reefs.
"They bundle them all together and they make fish reefs out of them every year." said Dr. John Seiler, professor of forest biology at Virginia Tech. "They put cinderblocks or something on them and they drop them in lakes and people drop them in their farm ponds. Then they know where they put them and that is where the fish will be".
Artificial trees have become popular over time. Made from plastics that can be harmful to the environment and never break down, artificial trees are seen as the "bad guy" of the holidays. Looking at the environmental effects of a real tree being improperly disposed of every year though, an artificial tree that is used for a long amount of time has just as much of an environmental consequence. Science exposing the problems of artificial trees can also give ways to improve these trees.
No matter what tree you choose, there are ways to make it more environmentally friendly. Using LED lights, ribbon instead of garland and ornaments sourced from natural resources not plastic are steps anyone can take.
Choosing an artificial versus a real Christmas tree comes down to what the consumer prioritizes and how they choose to use and dispose of the tree.