Real Vs. Artificial Christmas Trees: 5 Things To Know

ACROSS AMERICA — As soon as Thanksgiving concludes, Christmas trees will make their debut across Ameica, adorning living rooms and offering a bit of holiday cheer amid an overall bleak year.

Living amid coronavirus has been tough, and it's not surprising a vast majority of U.S. consumers expect the pandemic will change their 2020 Christmas plans.

One change, however, is the amount of people planning to get a real Christmas tree this year.

According to a survey by the Christmas Tree Promotion Board, consumers this year are more likely to appreciate “simple pleasures” and focus on creating new traditions. Among these new traditions are real Christmas trees — 39 percent say they're more likely to buy a real Christmas tree this year because of the pandemic.

If you have yet to choose a side in the great debate between real and artificial Christmas trees, here are five quick facts to keep in mind:

The Origin Of Fake Trees

The first artificial Christmas tree was actually invented in 1930 by the Addis Brush Company, a company that made toilet brush bristles, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. The company used the same machinery that it used to manufacture toilet brushes, but they were dyed green.

How Fake Trees Are Made

While real trees are viewed as a recyclable, renewable resource, most fake trees are made of two things, according to the National Christmas Tree Association — metal and plastic. The plastic material found in artificial trees is typically polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, which can be a potential source of hazardous lead.

Where Fake Trees Are Made

About 85 percent of artificial trees in the United States were originally imported from China. Meanwhile, real Christmas trees are grown in all 50 U.S. states. The National Christmas Tree Association estimates there are close to 350 million real Christmas trees currently growing on U.S. farms.

Environmental Impact

The average family uses an artificial tree for about six to nine years before throwing it away, where the tree will remain in a landfill indefinitely. In fact, the PVC used in most artificial trees has been boycotted by many environmental groups.

A real Christmas tree has the upper hand when it comes to positively affecting the environment. While they’re growing, real Christmas trees absorb carbon dioxide and other gases and release fresh oxygen. Each year, Christmas tree farmers plant new seedlings to replace those harvested.

Right now, approximately 350 million conifer trees are growing on Christmas tree farms in the United States, helping to stabilize the soil, protect water supplies and support complex eco-systems.

Real Trees Support U.S. Economy

The Christmas tree industry provides a huge number of jobs to Americans. Currently, there are close to 15,000 tree farms in the United States that employ more than 100,000 people either full- or part-time.