The Great Christmas Debate: A Real Tree or a Fake One?

Dec. 24, 2010 — -- Millions of Americans swear by artificial Christmas trees, arguing that they are easier to deal with and better for the environment.

Traditionalists say that's ridiculous. And a Canadian environmental firm says it's not even true.

The firm calculated the greenhouse gas emissions from both types and discovered that you would have to reuse an artificial tree for more than 20 years for it to be greener than cutting down a real one every year.

While Americans chop down 30 million trees each year, the real trees can be recycled. Last year, New York City composted and mulched 150,000 Christmas trees. Americans buy about 13 million fake trees every year, which often end up in landfills.

Advocates of fake trees say the smell of a real tree can be replaced with pine spray. They site convenience as an advantage – not having to haul a tree into your house every year, water your tree or vacuum up pine needles.

"Compared to the environmental impact of normal daily activity, neither type of tree – real or artificial – has a significant environmental impact," said Thomas Harman, CEO of Balsam Hill Christmas Tree Company, the leading specialty brand of artificial Christmas trees. "The main reason for the growth in artificial tree sales in the last 10 years is that with true needle technology, they look and feel like real trees. You get the convenience and safety of an environmental tree."

A Chicago Building Forbids Christmas Trees

At North Harbor Tower in Chicago, however, residents do not have a choice. The high-rise apartment building does not allow real Christmas trees, wreaths, or even boughs of holly. So much for holiday spirit.

"Every year they put a flyer in the elevator indicating that we're not supposed to have real trees. I can see that it would be a nightmare in a high-rise to collect all those trees, but a lot of high-rises do allow it," said Fran Windeler, a resident of North Harbor Tower.

"It was in the original rental contract that we were not allowed to have any kind of greenery," Windeler said.

The building has a new management company this year, so the agreement is slightly different. But they still cite Christmas trees as a potential fire hazard.

"Many public buildings across the country do not allow natural Christmas trees because of safety concerns," said Harman. "In fact, the New York City Fire Commissioner just recently announced that he would no longer have a real Christmas tree at home due to the fire risk. The Underwriters Laboratories (an independent product safety certification organization) strongly recommend that you do not keep a real Christmas tree in your home for more than four weeks due to fire risks."

The debate continues. "We got a fake tree as a gift five years ago when we lived in the city, but I didn't care for it at all. There was no way I'd ever use a fake tree," said Wayne DuMaine, a conductor and trumpeter on Broadway. "But when we bought a house in New Jersey and had a baby, we had no time to go out and buy a tree and tie it on top of the car – so I took out the fake one in the garage. It already has lights on it and it's gorgeous. I'm shocked. Eventually I'll get a real tree and tie it on top of the car but for now it's convenient as ever."