It seems like every December, right around the time when those first few snowflakes start swirling through the air, I find myself entering into in the same time honored debates about favorite holiday traditions with my friends and family. It’s a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story? (It’s a Wonderful Life). Should you open presents on Christmas Eve or save them for Christmas morning? (Christmas morning) And which type of tree is actually better for the environment in the long run—real or fake? (Real!)

Now, I know what you’re thinking. That’s impossible! Artificial trees are reusable. Besides, how can cutting down a healthy, living, breathing tree every year be a good thing?

I will admit right from the start, there are a lot of reasons I would stack the deck in favor of a real tree. The smell and feel of the fresh pine needles. I love studying tree after tree, thermos of hot cocoa in hand, searching for that perfectly imperfect specimen that I know will fit just right in the corner of the living room. But no sleight of hand will be necessary here. Because most of all, I love knowing that I am supporting my community in a real way. Local agriculture and the economy benefits. Even the various birds, insects, and wildlife that are able to take advantage of the tree before (and maybe even after) it’s cut down.

Artificial Trees Aren’t Eco-Friendly

Since you can reuse them year after year, at first glance artificial trees might appear to be a much more responsible choice for consumers who have concerns about environmental impact. But a closer look reveals that, while the fake trees are reusable, they are not biodegradable. This means that when you do get around to tossing them out, (and you will, their average life span in most homes is only 6-10 years), they will while away eternity in landfills. The garish triangular ghosts of Christmas past.

The vast majority of artificial trees imported to North America are shipped from China. Most are made of PVC. PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, a petroleum derived plastic. It is used in a number of products from construction materials to childrens’ toys, medical equipment, and even the interiors of cars. Despite its widespread use, PVC is a nonrenewable pollutant that can’t be recycled. It is frequently the subject of controversy concerning the potential health risks it may pose to its users. For stabilization purposes, manufacturers often use metals like lead, tin, or barium during the manufacture of PVC. Trace amounts of these substances have been detected in artificial Christmas trees in the past.

PVC can also release gases known as volatile organic compounds, (VOC’s). These gases can irritate the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, and cause coughing, dizziness, headaches, and nausea. Not what most of us hope to contend with while unwrapping our gifts on Christmas morning! On top of all of that, the production of PVC results in the emission of carcinogens such as the toxin dioxin. The carbon footprint involved in transporting trees from the site of manufacture here to the United States is often sizable.

Tree Farms Help the Environment and Community

Even though people frequently cite conservation concerns as a key factor in the decision to purchase an artificial tree, cutting down a live tree can actually present a more environmentally conscious alternative. Gone are the days when colonists felled wild trees in the United States right from the forests. Today, the Department of Agriculture estimates that approximately farmers devote half a million acres of land to farming Christmas trees each year. And in all fifty states!

This means that you shouldn’t have to travel very far to find one. When you do, you should definitely feel no remorse about cutting it down. At least no more than you might feel about picking apples or roasting an ear of corn. That’s because just like corn or soybeans, farmers grow Christmas trees as a crop on farms. Farmers harvest them for sale during the holiday season. They spend most of their lives on the farm contributing to a healthy ecosystem. The trees supply oxygen and remove carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the air. They help to stabilize the soil, and they provide refuge and a natural habitat for birds, insects, and wild animals.

Once they harvest trees, they will replant that acreage with more Christmas trees. Now, unless you source your tree from an organic grower, Christmas tree farming does usually require some use of chemicals. But compared to other crops, pesticide application on tree farms is typically low. In some cases, the trees allow farmers to profit from land that can’t grow other produce. Buying Christmas trees from local farms is a great way to support the preservation of farmland and sustainable agriculture in your community. It helps protect the green spaces in our landscape in the face of development.

Recycling Your Tree

After the kids open the last of the presents, you have a number of options for repurposing your live tree, or disposing of it in a responsible manner. Many cities offer free curbside recycling to residents, picking up your tree and turning it into compost or mulch. But if you’re feeling creative, there are a number of ways to recycle it right in your own backyard. You could dry the tree out and use it for kindling. Alternatively, you can strip its branches off and lay them atop perennial beds. The boughs will serve as insulation against harsh winter temperatures in the cold months to come.

You can chop up trees and add them to the compost pile where they will break down and eventually enrich the soil. You could even string your tree with popcorn or homemade edible ornaments, (use ingredients like peanut butter, seeds, berries, and dried fruit), and position it in a corner of the yard to become a makeshift refuge offering welcome winter protection, or perhaps a nesting habitat, for birds and other local wildlife. And depending on where you live, some organizations will even accept donated trees for local restoration projects. The National Wildlife Federation, for example, has in the past used recycled Christmas trees as part of an initiative to prevent wetland loss in Louisiana, and to help control beach erosion in other coastal communities affected by storms and hurricanes.

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Whatever you decide to do with your live Christmas tree come December 26, (or mid-January if your family is anything like mine, but that’s a debate for another time), you can feel confident that it will have a positive effect on your ecological community well into the New Year. The potential uses for a recycled Christmas tree are only limited by your imagination. And, of course, by the rules governing the town you live in. Your tree will likely go on to feed the soil, whether it’s yours or someone else’s. On the way it may provide shelter for any number of the wild little creatures that populate our ecosystem. And that is a gift that really does keep giving.