How to Choose an Eco-Friendly Christmas Tree

In this article, you will find information on how to choose an environmentally friendly Christmas tree. We will cover the following points:

If You Are Buying a Live Christmas Tree

When a Christmas tree is live and grown, it uses carbon dioxide from the air and incorporates it into its wood. This prevents greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, as increased carbon dioxide contributes to global warming.

This process stops once the tree is harvested. At some point, the cut tree begins to decompose and releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

On the positive side, the tree’s roots will continue to store carbon for a while, and new trees are usually planted to continue the cycle.

So how do you find the most sustainable live tree?

Consider the tree’s origin

If you live in Mississippi, like me, buying a Noble Fir (Abies procera) likely means your tree is sourced from the Pacific Northwest. That’s a long journey, and transportation is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. However, in a truck carrying several hundred trees, the transportation emissions per individual tree are very low.

The most common types of Christmas tree vary by region: Douglas Firs are also common in the western mountains. Scots Pine, Frasier Fir, and Balsam Fir are regularly grown in the Great Lakes states. The Frasier Fir is also common there but is dominant in North Carolina. Leyland Cypress and Virginia Pine are prevalent in the Southeast.

Many other species are locally grown. Of course, the lowest impact for a cut tree is one that you cut from your own yard.

You should also look for local nurseries that protect their soil from erosion and reduce damage from surface and groundwater runoff that may contain fertilizers or pesticides.

Disposing of Your Live Tree After the Holidays

What you do with your tree after the holidays matters too.

Recycling is far better than letting the wood decompose in a landfill. Due to the nature of most landfills, anaerobic conditions will eventually exist, and decomposition will release methane gas, which is more effective than carbon dioxide at warming the atmosphere.

Look for a community or vendor that offers tree chipping or shredding services to produce mulch or for use in animal enclosures. This keeps the tree out of landfills and serves a purpose.

Composting is another option. Trees can be used as an erosion barrier for sand or soil or as fish habitats in lakes. Trees can even be fully donated to zoos, where they provide entertainment for animals while keeping decomposition out of landfills, or they can be thrown into a biomass incinerator to provide heating for buildings. Some people even feed the trees to goats.

Alternatively, you can also cut the tree into small pieces and allow it to decompose outdoors, placing it in a remote spot in your yard. It will provide temporary shelter for many insects, birds, and wildlife.

Artificial Trees Have Different Advantages and Disadvantages

Artificial trees also have advantages – they can last for years and require almost no maintenance. However, they are mostly petroleum-based products, and when disposed of, they can take hundreds of years to decompose.

If you plan to buy an artificial Christmas tree – perhaps you have allergies like me, or you are concerned about the cost – here are some suggestions to reduce your carbon footprint.

Reuse is the number one way to reduce emissions with an artificial tree. Reusing avoids the carbon footprint of producing, packaging, and shipping a new tree. The break-even point – when your artificial tree’s emissions match the emissions of buying a live tree every year – varies from just four years to 20 years, depending on the factors considered.

Many

Artificial trees are designed to last 30 years or more. My family has had an artificial tree for 25 years. To extend its lifespan, be careful when placing and storing it. If the tree gets damaged, look for replacement parts instead of replacing the entire tree.

Pay attention to the source

About 80% of artificial Christmas trees are manufactured in China. Shipping works well, but the tree still needs to reach ports and return from them. You can also look for a tree made nearby instead.

Some manufacturers make trees from recycled materials, at least partially, which helps reduce the tree’s carbon footprint. Shorter artificial trees, or designs with fewer leaves, also use less plastic.

The type of plastic used also affects the amount of petroleum consumed. Some research suggests that plastic leaves made from polyethylene plastic molds may have a lower impact than traditional leaves made from polyvinyl chloride or PVC.

Give the artificial tree a second life

If you no longer love your artificial tree – perhaps it’s too large for your new home – try selling the tree or donating it to a charity, thrift store, or nursing home so others can continue to use it.

You can also be creative and reuse branches from the old tree to decorate wreaths, garlands, or toy trees for a model train set.

Lighting matters too

With any Christmas tree, be wise about turning off the lights when there’s no one around or at night. Consider using fewer lights. LED lights are more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs.

In the end, during the holiday season, with people traveling and buying gifts and returning them by mail, the carbon emissions from your Christmas tree are a secondary concern. A round trip from Los Angeles to Boston can produce more than 30 times the emissions of a typical artificial Christmas tree over its lifetime. However, it is reasonably easy to make more sustainable choices and reduce your carbon footprint when you can.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Curtis VanderSchaaf is an assistant professor of forestry at Mississippi State University.

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