To think natural Christmas trees are rubbish

[Grindelwaldswand]

Got our first real Christmas tree yesterday and it is useless its 6ft but has massive gaps in between the branches and it can't even hold a bauble on the tip of the branch without falling to the floor i had visions of an amazing tree that would fill the hluse with the smell of pine needles but its scentless. definitely getting a fake tree next year.

Ours is pot grown so I'm going to put it in a bigger pot after Christmas and nurture it in the back yard. Might bring it in again next year if I can persuade the snails to keep off it.

I've got a fake one. Can't remember where I got it from and it wasn't expensive but people always think it's a real one when they see photos - although I'm sure that wouldn't the be the case if they saw it in real life.

Our previous fake one was absolutely crap and didn't look real at all (plus it actually seemed to shed plastic 'needles' at the same rate as a real one).

Real Christmas trees can certainly be lovely but I just find the fake one more convenient and reliable really. Plus, a lot of plants and trees set off DP's allergies so there's always a risk he'd spend the entire festive season sneezing and rubbing his eyes.

I think if you have a large or older house with high ceilings/bay windows a real tree is lovely.

However, I live in a 1960s box with fairly small rooms and so a fake tree that you can buy to fit your house is much better. We only had a real tree one year.

Our old fake tree lasted about 15 years.

I like our current one which we got last year. It does look a bit like the rogue Christmas tree on Dr Who The Christmas Invasion though.

We have a fake tree. I'm not lugging half a ton of timber up the stairs into my teeny flat and then back again every bloody year. It's light, it has a box, we'll get 15 years out of it at least I'm sure.

I love it when other people have real trees, mind you!

So the fact that I have no car and carry my real tree home from the shop makes it the more environmentally friendly choice, in that case? But my lack of car means that I don't get a locally grown tree because that would mean driving out to the forest?

The Christmas tree industry is a giant carbon sink

Only if the trees are landfilled so they don't decay. If the trees are mixed and used as soil they will obviously release all of the carbon again ...

In terms of whether or not a fake tree is better for the environment, the debate is broader than carbon footprint of fake tree production. On average only 12.5% of real trees that are chopped and not complete with root ball get recycled which leaves a landfill problem as roughly 6m trees are bought each year. Pesticides and fertilisers may also be used when growing the trees (how often do you see organic Christmas trees for sale?). Of those trees with a root ball, not many can survive the shock of indoors living then outdoors replanting (if you bother).

I personally feel its completely wrong to chop a tree down for the benefit of having it in your sitting room (or wherever) for advent. Its meant to be symbolic so who cares if you have a symmetrical fake tree? I will never buy a real tree and the tree I bought 15 years ago when I got married is gorgeous, still going strong and totally fit for purpose. If I want a pine scent, I can get some essential oil and a diffuser.

Of those trees with a root ball, not many can survive the shock of indoors living then outdoors replanting (if you bother)

We've got two large trees in the garden, bought as very small rooted ones for the house years ago. They've grown wonderfully well. In fact, I'd asked DP to buy one in a pot for the front doorstep. The thing he brought home with him was little more than a twig, could barely even hold one string of lights (I was a bit cross with him)! It was planted at the front of the house and is now 6ft tall (and shows off it's lights admirably)

This article provides some balance to the argument, and is based on science rather than people trying to justify their own choice.

here

Glad you got trees that survived Evans.

Even if a real tree does go to landfill, it will still biodegrade far more quickly than one made of plastic.

The plastic one will never degrade, evans.

You paid £50 for a natural tree without seeing it, OP???

Morrisons are selling big Nordmann firs for £15. I bought one yesterday. I think ikea usually do good deals on real trees too if you happen to live near one.

Unless its particularly large, I think you've been ripped off if you've paid that amount and been sent a duffer.

I just answered that point about biodegradation! It's not the only important measure here.

Even if a real tree does go to landfill, it will still biodegrade far more quickly than one made of plastic

No it's there for keeps. There's no such thing as "bio" degradeable plastic. It may break down eventually after a few hundred or thousand years into smaller bits, but they're still there and still end up in waterways, food chains etc. That's why plastic littering such as balloon releases are such a bad idea.

I love everything about fake trees... not having to go and buy it, knowing what I'm getting, the ease of decorating, the fact it doesn't drop bloody needles everywhere.

Except for the fact that it's fake and made of plastic. That, I hate.

So I get real trees.

You're right, Rhonda - it probably only breaks up into teeny tiny little pieces and will take centuries to do that alone. Far too long for our planet to be able to sustain. I had a conversation on F/Book with someone who was wanting to make an ethical Vegan choice on her boots and she provided a link to a website that only sold footwear made of materials such as acetate and lycra, which take 500 yrs to biodegrade. That is ridiculous. She was trying to find an alternative to natural animal products, because of her ethical views, but using man-made products is actually harming the planet far more.

Seriously, I did just write a whole post about how degradation of artificial materials was not the only thing that needed to be considered - the transport of both artificial and real trees has to be factored in.

And I am smug secure in the knowledge that my used real Christmas tree goes nowhere near landfill. It sits at the back of the garden dropping all its needles into the soil, and then we chop it up and burn it the next winter.

Organic stuff put in landfill doesn't compost properly.

Sorry shove - you did write them. It's not your imagination :o Great posts they were too.

We always had fake when I was a child. As an adult I've always had real. We love the whole ritual of choosing "the one" (which can involve visiting several places), getting it home and then decorating it with Christmas music in the background. Love it. House smells lovely.

Pulling something out of the loft. Not the same. At all.

I would love a real tree,but have never allowed myself,it feels wrong to chop a tree down for a few weeks and then it dies...our fake one we have had for years..I've thought about getting a real one in a tub and carry it out to the garden ,then back in each Xmas.but my lounge is upstairs ,so that would be to heavy

We couldn't have a real tree this year, cos we're abroad, and the awful garden centre had run out (!) so I've constructed something.

In the UK we always went to the tree farm for the traditional argue in the cold until it's too dark to see then picking the 2nd one you saw Christmas event.

Surely, SURELY artificial trees are also a fire hazard? Besides, the post Christmas tree bonfire sizzling and snapping (and smelling fantastic) is also a tradition in my family :D

I started reading the report you linked, ShovetheHolly but the report you linked to is 107 pages long. I got to page 7 where it references trees grown in China being shipped to the US, which of course is a massive carbon footprint. I will need to read it in bed with a mug of Horlicks to get to the end, I don't have time now.

All I can say is, our Christmas tree farm is about a mile from our house, it is disposed of ethically (either by replanting the rooted ones, or allowing the others to sit in the garden whilst the needles drop onto the soil, then saw up the branches to use as either firewood or put into our green recycling bin. As far as I know, we're doing the right thing, and we're helping, rather than harming our beautiful planet.

Polishes Halo

evans - Yes, it's bloody long and annoyingly there's no decent summary anywhere. You can skim a lot of it, though - the bits that are important are their descriptions of the different measures they used and then the 'break even' analysis. I think the Chinese trees they mentioned are the artificial ones (many British fake trees are made in China too), and the natural trees are assumed to be American grown (it's a US study), but to have stands that are made in China.

As far as I can see, it's the carbon emissions from transporting the real trees in trucks to the sale point and then in cars home that seem to have the biggest impact. If you're carrying one on foot, you'd definitely cut that right down!