Experts say real Christmas trees are better for the environment
MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) Real Christmas trees are more environmentally friendly than artificial ones are, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
With a week left until Christmas, Central Coast residents are making their last-minute tree purchases.
Marsha Arnold, an artificial tree owner, said that nothing can top a real tree.
“I prefer real trees because I come from the Midwest,” Arnold said. “We had a family gathering. We all went out and picked a tree, cut it. Nothing can take that tradition away.”
And yet, she has gone with an artificial tree for the past few years. She said that, after a fire several years ago, she's worried about the environment and cutting trees down unnecessarily.
“Trees—we need to save them. They’re beautiful, they smell great," Arnold said. "But, artificial, you can have every year the same new look. If you want it to smell like a tree, you can spray it.”
The National Christmas Tree Association said this thinking is common, but not entirely accurate.
“There’s one myth to dispel first," National Christmas Tree Association Spokesperson Doug Hundley said. "Christmas trees are not cut out of the wild. We’re not cutting down trees that would grow into forests. 99% of the trees used in people’s homes are grown on Christmas tree farms.”
Most artificial Christmas trees are imported from China and they are made of materials like plastic. Those materials don't break down and go back into the earth. Instead, they sit in landfills.
“Communities, cities, small and large, have chipping and mulching systems where you can have your trees put right back into the soil," Hundley said. "And they do become soil pretty rapidly when they’re chipped up and put in compost.”
It remains to be seen whether Central Coast residents would think about the environmental effects while purchasing a Christmas tree.
“I’ve never heard that argument before," real tree owner Alyssa Guerrero said. "So I feel like, if it was more out there, maybe people would change their minds for it."
