The Decorator’s Dilemma: Christmas Trees

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now the kids are bothering you to get a Christmas tree. But you feel guilty about cutting down a beautiful tree for the sake of smothering it with ornaments and popcorn strands for one measly month. So instead of heading to the tree farm this year, you’re considering moseying on down to the nearest K-Mart in search of a nice reusable plastic tree. It’s the most eco-friendly way to shelter the presents, yes? Well, maybe not.

Most artificial christmas trees are composed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which contains hazardous chemicals including high chlorine content and dioxin (one of the most potent carcinogens). These toxins are not only released during production of PVC, but can also leach toxic additives after manufacture. Not quite the same as the fresh smell of real trees. While you’ll get years, maybe even decades of holidays out of your fake tree, it will one day inevitably wind up in a landfill, where it will remain for hundreds of years due to resistance to degradation.

Now let’s take a look at real trees. When you take home a tree, you’re depriving it and a forest of a marvelous life together, right? Wrong. Christmas trees are typically grown in a crop, meaning they are neither a part of, nor being stripped from, a fragile forest ecosystem. Instead, they’re grown sustainably, which also allows them to purify air-removing CO2 as they grow, rather than producing it like fake trees. In your home, trees will continue cleansing the air you breathe; an added bonus to the pine-fresh aroma. Then at the end of the holidays, return the favor by recycling your tree to be composted and used to help next year’s crop grow strong and healthy.

If the guilt of cutting down a young tree is still too much for you, consider buying a live, potted one. After Christmas, the live tree can be planted in the yard, and even returned to the home for several years until it grows too big. The transition from the home to the yard can be difficult for the tree, however, with only a 50-50 chance of it surviving. Here are a few things you can do to improve the chance of the tree’s survival.

• Larger trees are more prone to transition shock, so if you choose to buy a live tree, you’re going to have to put your ego aside and opt for a smaller tree.
• If your kids insist on having a tree in the house from Thanksgiving to Christmas, a live tree is not a viable option, as they should only be kept indoors for 7-10 days maximum in order to remain dormant.
• Water religiously! This is Christmas after all, so this shouldn’t be a problem.
• If you live in a freezing climate, create an easier transition from the home to yard by first moving the tree into an unheated room such as a garage for a day or two.
• Dig a hole in your yard before freezing temperatures and when it comes time to plant, surround the roots with mulch until spring when the ground thaws. The tree will be unstable, so be sure to stake it to prevent wind damage.

No matter what tree option you choose this year, be sure to take the proper measures to ensure happy holidays for the environment. As for Wend, we’ll be celebrating with our Festivus Pole.