Why Real Christmas Trees Are Better Than Fake Ones

Choosing between real and artificial Christmas trees largely comes down to personal preference: do you want that cozy pine smell and hellacious clean-up, or built-in lights with no personal touch but nary a needle on the floor? Personal preference aside, though, there's someone else who probably cares: Mother Earth.

Don't fall into the assumption that cutting down trees for a few weeks of festivity is on par with harmful deforestation. Apartment Therapy points out that the Christmas tree industry is actually beautifully sustainable-Christmas tree farms "provide clean air and water, important habitat for wildlife, and erosion control," with only about 10% of trees harvested each year. (Those facts come courtesy of Bill Ulfelder, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy .)

On the other hand, artificial trees have to be manufactured and transported-real trees get transported, too, but you'd have to use your fake tree for about twenty Christmases before it became a better environmental bet than a real tree. That's bad news for most fake tree fiends, as the average lifespan for an artificial tree is more like six years, and especially for folks who go trendy with their fake trees-you want your tree to outlast the fads.

Environmentally speaking, your best bet is to get a real tree from as local a farm as possible. Indulge your trendy impulses with decorations, and at the end of the season, recycle your tree-many cities and towns organize collections to turn trees into mulch or compost. Let your tree be the gift that keeps on giving.

The Mistake All Fake Christmas Tree Owners are Making | Apartment Therapy