Real Trees vs. Fake Trees -the Environmental Pros and Cons

• United States & Canada

• 85% from China

• farming

• factory

• planting takes place Jan-May

• raw materials sent to factory & assembled into final product

• estimated 40-45 million trees planted in 2007 in North America

• product is shipped to U.S. then distributed to stores

• estimated 446 million trees growing on farms in U.S.

• number of factories unknown

• tree farms support complex eco-systems

• factories only consume natural resources

• plant tissue

• plastics and metals

• 100% biodegradable

• non-biodegradable

• Yes

• No

• Yes

• No (lead is used in the process of making PVC plastic)

• Yes

• No

• trees absorb carbon dioxide

• plastic is a petroleum byproduct

• when decomposing, carbon, nitrogen and other elements are released into soil

• No

• Yes

• Scientists have measured cut Christmas trees for chemical residue and not found any significant amounts

• PVC itself is a dangerous chemical

• Many different bugs, fungi and parasites can attack and kill trees, so farmers may use pesticides to keep consumers' trees healthy and alive until harvest

• Manufacture of PVC creates and disperses dioxins, the most toxic man-made chemical known

• Most pesticides are ground applied; some farmers use biological controls, rather than chemicals, or use organic methods

• Released into air or water, dioxins enter the food chain, where they accumulate in fatty tissues of animals and humans, a potential risk for causing cancer, damaging immune functions and impairing children's development

• Herbicides are used to suppress, not kill off, weeds to prevent soil erosion

• If someone tells you “there are chemicals on cut Christmas trees” they are wrong

• Recycled

• Landfill

• Used trees can be recycled in a variety of ways

• Fake trees can’t be recycled and end up in landfills

• Decomposing trees add nutrients back into the earth

• All of the accumulated fake trees are a burden to the environment indefinitely

• Yes

• No

• New trees are planted every year

• Petroleum, used to make plastic, is a non-renewable resource, as are metals

• Yes

• No