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Oh Christmas Tree
  
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By Holly Cook
Fifty-six million trees are planted each year to be used for future holidays, and 30 million to 35 million families will buy a real Christmas tree this year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
The weekend after Thanksgiving is traditionally the time shopping begins, and the time the real versus fake tree debate crops up.
While there are some benefits to both types, more and more environmentalists are agreeing that “natural is better.”
“Christmas time is an opportunity to reflect on how we live, and it’s important to think of the impact of our decisions,” said Stacey Gonzalez of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice during the Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center in 2007.
Generally, natural tree growers argue that artificial trees are more environmentally harmful than their natural counterpart. Groups like the American Christmas Tree Association argue that artificial trees are made from material with “excellent recyclable properties.”
A common misunderstanding about natural Christmas Trees is that cutting one results in the loss of a tree.
Trees sold on lots are not cut down from forests — according to the National Christmas Tree Association, they are grown on a tree farm where someone plants them.
Artificial trees are manufactured from PVC sheets and tin.
Natural Christmas trees are grown like any other harvestable crop, and the industry employs more than 100,000 people.
There are approximately 500,000 acres devoted to the growing and harvesting of Christmas trees, according to the association.
Frank Elliott, owner of Treeland, 1710 South Santa Fe Drive, works with “the best tree farms, specifically working with tree farmers to cut the trees only days before delivery.
Treeland’s shipment of trees (roughly 3,000) arrived Nov. 21.
For every tree that’s cut down and sold during the holidays, one to three more seedlings are planted in its place.
While they’re growing, they absorb carbon dioxide and other gases, and emit fresh oxygen.
And farms that grow the trees work to stabilize soil, protect water supplies and provide refuge for wildlife, the National Christmas Tree Association says.
Artificial trees, on the other hand, were invented by a toilet bowl brush manufacturer in 1930. Addis Brush Company designed the first one using brush bristles and aluminum.
While they can be used year after year, they have a life span of only six to nine years. When they are produced or burned, they release dioxins that can cause health complications, even though they’re often made from recycled plastics, according to the United State Environmental Protection Agency.
A natural tree generates about half the amount of green house gases compared to artificial trees.
And after their stint as a decoration, fake trees will be dumped in a landfill, where they’ll remain.
Real trees are biodegradable, and many municipalities offer a place to recycle Christmas trees.
Recycleyourchristmastree.com lists drop-off locations for every county in Colorado.
Nationally, 93 percent of real Christmas trees are recycled through community programs, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
For two weeks after the holiday, the City of Littleton and South Suburban Parks and Recreation collect and mulch. For more information, call 303-795-3766.
The weekend after Thanksgiving is traditionally the time shopping begins, and the time the real versus fake tree debate crops up.
While there are some benefits to both types, more and more environmentalists are agreeing that “natural is better.”
“Christmas time is an opportunity to reflect on how we live, and it’s important to think of the impact of our decisions,” said Stacey Gonzalez of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice during the Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center in 2007.
Generally, natural tree growers argue that artificial trees are more environmentally harmful than their natural counterpart. Groups like the American Christmas Tree Association argue that artificial trees are made from material with “excellent recyclable properties.”
A common misunderstanding about natural Christmas Trees is that cutting one results in the loss of a tree.
Trees sold on lots are not cut down from forests — according to the National Christmas Tree Association, they are grown on a tree farm where someone plants them.
Artificial trees are manufactured from PVC sheets and tin.
Natural Christmas trees are grown like any other harvestable crop, and the industry employs more than 100,000 people.
There are approximately 500,000 acres devoted to the growing and harvesting of Christmas trees, according to the association.
Frank Elliott, owner of Treeland, 1710 South Santa Fe Drive, works with “the best tree farms, specifically working with tree farmers to cut the trees only days before delivery.
Treeland’s shipment of trees (roughly 3,000) arrived Nov. 21.
For every tree that’s cut down and sold during the holidays, one to three more seedlings are planted in its place.
While they’re growing, they absorb carbon dioxide and other gases, and emit fresh oxygen.
And farms that grow the trees work to stabilize soil, protect water supplies and provide refuge for wildlife, the National Christmas Tree Association says.
Artificial trees, on the other hand, were invented by a toilet bowl brush manufacturer in 1930. Addis Brush Company designed the first one using brush bristles and aluminum.
While they can be used year after year, they have a life span of only six to nine years. When they are produced or burned, they release dioxins that can cause health complications, even though they’re often made from recycled plastics, according to the United State Environmental Protection Agency.
A natural tree generates about half the amount of green house gases compared to artificial trees.
And after their stint as a decoration, fake trees will be dumped in a landfill, where they’ll remain.
Real trees are biodegradable, and many municipalities offer a place to recycle Christmas trees.
Recycleyourchristmastree.com lists drop-off locations for every county in Colorado.
Nationally, 93 percent of real Christmas trees are recycled through community programs, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
For two weeks after the holiday, the City of Littleton and South Suburban Parks and Recreation collect and mulch. For more information, call 303-795-3766.
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