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bichonlvr
11-27-2007, 12:17 PM
So we have this debate often being that both of my parents live in areas that only get "fake" trees, I wanted a fake one and then someone brought my attention to the actual HARM they can do to the environment.

What do you think???

Real or plastic?
Many consumers will be asking themselves that question this holiday season.

http://www.christmas-tree.com/real/images/manhaulingtree.gifIn this age of environmental awareness it's appropriate to know a favorite family holiday tradition of choosing a real Christmas tree over an artificial tree is still the environmentally sound choice.
"What could be simpler or more natural?" says Bob Scott, Former President of the National Christmas Tree Association. "Buying a real Christmas tree is definitely an environmentally sound choice."
"Consumers are showing their preference for real, natural products that are socially conscious. Many young families are attracted to the tradition of celebrating Christmas with a real tree in their home," explained Scott.
Christmas tree farms stabilize soil, protect water supplies and provide refuge for wildlife while creating scenic green belts. Often, Christmas trees are grown on soils that could not support other crops.
A benefit to the atmosphere, real Christmas trees absorb carbon dioxide and other gases, emitting fresh oxygen. This helps prevent the earth-warming "greenhouse effect". One acre of Christmas trees produces the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people. With approximately one million acres producing Christmas trees in the United States, that translates into oxygen for 18 million people every day. For every real Christmas tree harvested, three seedlings are planted in its place.
Real Christmas trees are an all-American, recyclable resource. Artificial trees, most of which are manufactured in Korea, Taiwan or Hong Kong, consist of plastics and metals that aren't biodegradable. When disposed of, the artificial trees will never deteriorate. Their effects on our environment are evident and will remain for countless generations.
Give a gift back to the environment!

Real Christmas trees are an all-American product, grown in all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. Most artificial trees are manufactured in Korea, Taiwan, or Hong Kong.
Real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. Artificial trees contain non-biodegradable plastics and metals.
For every real Christmas tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place.
There are about 1 million acres in production for growing Christmas trees. Each acre provides the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people.
There are about 15,000 Christmas tree growers in the U.S., and over 100,000 people employed full or part time in the industry.
There are approximately 5,000 choose and cut farms in the U.S.
It can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of average retail sale height (6 feet), but the average growing time in 7 years.
The top selling Christmas trees are: Balsam Fir, Douglas Fir, Fraser Fir, Noble Fir, Scotch Pine, Virginia Pine and White Pine.
It's Environmentally and Traditionally Wrong to buy and use plastic products to celebrate Christmas ... Here's why...
Consider these important facts...
1. Fake trees and wreaths are made from nonrenewable petroleum.
REAL Christmas trees and wreaths do not harm our environment and our resources... they are produced as an agricultural crop. Each year Christmas tree growers replace cut trees with a new crop of seedlings.
2. When a fake tree catches fire, it puts dangerous toxic fumes into the air.
A properly cared-for REAL Christmas tree will not catch fire easily. If and when it does, its fumes will certainly not be as toxic. In addition, one acre of REAL Christmas trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produces enough oxygen for 18 people.
3. Fake trees cannot be recycled. When they are disposed of in a sanitary landfill, they will not disintegrate, but will remain there forever, taking up increasingly scarce landfill space.
Our cities today are faced with a critical shortage of sanitary land fill space. Many of them, and states as well, have passed laws prohibiting disposal of REAL Christmas trees in a landfill. REAL trees are thus being used in various helpful ways when disposed of...such as ground-up mulch to replenish the soil, fish habitat and other useful methods.
But, what about disposal of fake Christmas trees? No legislation has yet been passed to prohibit their disposal in a landfill. A fake Christmas tree has no use whatsoever when disposed of, except to continue taking up space in critically-needed landfill space.
4. Fake trees are manufactured mainly outside of the United States.
We hear much today about our economy being faced with a loss of jobs. Why do we continue to promote loss of jobs in the Christmas tree industry by buying and using fake Christmas trees and wreaths when very few fake trees and wreaths are made in the United States by American Labor.
Thousands of jobs have already been lost in the Christmas tree industry because continued sale and use of fake trees and wreaths continues to be encouraged.
Over the years, the Christmas tree has come to symbolize the faith and hope of harmony among all mankind. This spirit is REAL and a REAL Christmas tree, when brought inside our homes, projects this feeling through its pleasant scent and natural warm beauty.
Wake Up, America!
Celebrate Christmas with a REAL Christmas tree and wreath, while helping protect our valuable nonrenewable environment.

SerendipityCrafts
11-27-2007, 01:04 PM
I certainly don't think that people that choose fake are bad but I just have to have a real tree. Fake trees remind me of giant green toilet brushes.

In our area, they also collect the real trees, pulverize them and use them for mulch in our city parks, gardens etc.

Kirby
11-27-2007, 01:04 PM
That's interesting. I have never had a fake Christmas tree in my life. Real all the way for me!

WBandMe
11-27-2007, 01:14 PM
That is interesting. We've always had fake, and I'm kind of scared of real. I'm allergic to just about every tree out there and I'd be afraid to go near the thing to decorate it! I'll have to find a friend with one so I can experiment...

Nik54545
11-27-2007, 01:14 PM
Growing up, we always had fake trees. When I moved into my own home, my Christmas tree from my childhood came with me and we still use it today. That tree is older than I am, haha.

WebLady
11-27-2007, 01:22 PM
DH and I, as well as both of our families, have had both real and fake trees. I personally prefer the artificial ones because they don't make me sneeze and they last longer.

We bought a new one last year, but before that we had the other one for years (I believe it was given to us) and we gave it away when we got the new one.

bichonlvr
11-27-2007, 01:26 PM
I certainly don't think that people that choose fake are bad but I just have to have a real tree.

I totally agree...I have friends who are like...."oh it is terrible for the environment to have a real tree....it is sooo bad to clear tree to just trow them away... etc. When in fact it is opposite...funny huh??!?

Fake trees remind me of giant green toilet brushes.


LOVE IT!!!!

Allergies stink!

Nekochanpurr
11-27-2007, 01:33 PM
We have a fake tree. I don't see the point of getting a real one when i can hardly fit my little fake tree in here! lol. However, when (if..) we can ever get a house, i want a real tree.. Steves family always has them, but i've never had one!

SerendipityCrafts
11-27-2007, 01:33 PM
I have been on the receiving end of the environment thing before and I also heard when the tree producers proved that it wasn't so. Good on them.

It's worth every penny for me to get the nicest, greenest, biggest, fullest, messiest tree in the lot :) I'll buy a smaller turkey or buy one less present, before I skrimp on my tree LOL

With that said, we did see some fake trees at Costco that weren't all that bad. The tree technology is getting better. Now all they have to do is infuse them with fresh tree scent :)

SouthernQueenBride
11-27-2007, 02:18 PM
We always had a fake tree growing up. Seems easier to me (allergies, cleanup, etc.) And I was passed down the family tree this Christmas.
Although ... I saw this cute little family in a SUV with a Christmas Tree tied to the roof and thought about how much fun I bet that was for the whole family to go and pick out the tree together.

This Christmas though - our first one living together - we will have my old family fake tree - maybe once we have kids we will do the real tree thing.:candycane:

miranda
11-27-2007, 02:25 PM
One thing nobody has mentioned is pets. We've never been able to have a real tree because of our dogs and cats. Dogs drink the water out of the bowl and get sick, cat eats the needles and gets sick. So fake trees here! I do love real trees, and that's what I always had growing up, and I have such great memories of the whole family getting together and going to a field and picking out a tree. Buuuut my furbabies are more important to me :)

crazydaizychiki
11-27-2007, 02:30 PM
fake. Less of a clean up. More affordable. Les of some sort of fire hazard.

firespirit
11-27-2007, 03:37 PM
We grew up with real x-mas trees and during my first marriage we had real ones for a while but it was just too much of a pain. The dog would get under there to drink the water and knock it over. One of the cats would climb it and knock it over. And my ex would never water it so I would be the one that had to get under there and without fail would end up getting sap stuck in my hair every year. Inevitibly needles get EVERYWHERE and sometime midsummer you end up stepping on one that had been buried in the carpet...

So I gave up and just got a fake one. I like it cause it has fiberoptic lights on it so I dont have to string it with lights ever.

rainbowtreat
11-27-2007, 03:56 PM
I have to have a real one. My husband always had fakes ones growing up in WV so it is new to him. I remember 2 times in my life having a fake one. Once when we lived in NC for a short time as a child and once when I had my own little place for the first time I had a small one. But ijsut have to have the real one. I love the smell, the idea of picking it out, all of it.

The part of it being a fire hazard, well does any one watch Myth Busters? lol. I watch the one on this subject. It is near impossible for the tree to catch fire. My cats don't bother the tree and the kids were fine with it even when they were little. I am not worried about Grady at all.

I will water it and put it up and take it down all by myself if I ahve to just to have it.

SerendipityCrafts
11-27-2007, 03:59 PM
I will water it and put it up and take it down all by myself if I ahve to just to have it.

LOL I will too .... and have :)

My fav. tool for watering the tree is a funnel + a long piece of tubing to fit the end. We tuck the tubing into the branches of the tree and leave it there until we need to add more water.

Do you sugar or sweeten your water? We have used 7up. I heard it helps make the tree last longer.

rainbowtreat
11-27-2007, 04:02 PM
LOL I will too .... and have :)

My fav. tool for watering the tree is a funnel + a long piece of tubing to fit the end. We tuck the tubing into the branches of the tree and leave it there until we need to add more water.

Do you sugar or sweeten your water? We have used 7up. I heard it helps make the tree last longer.


I have never added anything to the water. We put it up onthe 8th and it comes down within the week after Christmas. It last pretty good for that time frame.

I use my water can for the plants. It has the long spout thing and it makes it easier for me to water it.

lize566
11-27-2007, 04:04 PM
Oh we had this debate every year for the last two years. Well, due to money issues and us being able to have my grandmas fake tree for free, we have a fake one this year. And believe me I am not happy about it. Yeah, I like that we can put it up longer, but it's not the same! I made DH put the tree up by himslef b/c I said I go pick out trees, I don't build them lol. It's just not the same, having a fake tree!

bichonlvr
11-27-2007, 04:05 PM
Do you sugar or sweeten your water? We have used 7up. I heard it helps make the tree last longer.

We use Scotch!!! We have a drunk tree..HA HA! Just kidding..we use sugar!

SerendipityCrafts
11-27-2007, 04:09 PM
We use Scotch!!! We have a drunk tree..HA HA!!

So it's a little tipsy???? ar ar ar ar ar!!!

We also cut a bit off the end or have the vendor do it for us.

ikkin510
11-27-2007, 05:19 PM
WE have to have a fake tree. Real trees are very bad for me. I spend more the two hours in a room with a real tree and my asthma will start acting up. I'm normally wheezing by the time I leave my ILs house during the holiday season.

Whitewater
11-27-2007, 05:31 PM
I think the article was heavily biased towards real trees, or perhaps against fake trees.

I like both equally, and know about the inherent dangers in each one. Personally my folks have real trees, but for a good 45 years we also had a fake tree. When I moved out I inherited the tree and it got to its 50th birthday in 2003 before having to be thrown away. Modern fake trees do not look like my old one, and that's kind of sad. I replaced it with a new fake tree (which I've had since) and it's not too bad.

As soon as we get a house (my landlord will not allow live trees indoors, though we can put live wreaths on our duplex door) we'll probably get a fake tree.

Personally, I think a fake tree is more economical, but then it also takes up space in the closet for 10 months . . .

There are definitely pros and cons to each!


Whitewater (like Switzerland, I am neutral)

BrideInCuffs21
11-28-2007, 12:57 AM
Well.... you can call me a non-American because I have a fake Christmas tree.... so if I could have a real one I would... then again if I had a real one in the house for an extended period of time make sure to have Benadryl, Epi, Albuterol and so on since I am very allergic..... so call me what you want depending on the tree I have.... hahaha...

But in all seriousness if I could have a real tree I would but there is something with the pine trees that if I am around of for an extended period I break out in hives, itch, I start wheezing and well.... you get the point...

RevMatty
11-28-2007, 02:12 AM
The nice thing about a fake tree, is it can be reused for years to come. New one's thrown out every year.
Fake are fire retardant, real dry out, lights short, there goes your house.
Fake now days can look as real as the real thing, real trees look real.

ChibiAiChan
11-28-2007, 10:42 AM
I.... have one that hangs on my wall... because my apartment is 700 sq ft.....

frenchie
11-28-2007, 01:06 PM
Growing up we always had a fake tree, but I was one of those people who thought real trees were a waste, and sad, because you actually had to kill a tree every year - now that I realize that they are better for the environment I think I'll get real trees - but it will be awhile probably until we get our own tree since we'll probably be going home to our parent's for christmas at least until we have kids.

delilah
11-29-2007, 12:06 PM
Growing up my mother insisted on having real trees...the biggest one my poor father could lug home. Until this past year when he finally stood up to her and said no. She went out and bought the silliest fake white tree, complete with hot pink twinkle lights. it looked straight out of the Victoria's Secret window...or the Barbie Dream House. It was hysterical!

I, on the other hand have a 50's silver, shiny aluminum tree with pompom branches and the little electric color wheel that spins light and makes it change from red to blue to green. Very cool!