POLL: Live vs Fake Christmas Tree

[Sketcher]

Growing & Harvesting Trees Help the Environment:

Did you ever think that by using a live Christmas tree in your house that you were actually helping the environment? Real trees help the environment from the time they are planted until after the holiday season when they can be recycled.

While they are growing, Christmas trees support life by absorbing carbon dioxide and other gases while giving off fresh oxygen. Every acre of Christmas trees planted gives off enough oxygen to meet the needs of 18 people. Today in America there are enough Christmas trees planted that 18 million people a day are supplied with oxygen. Also, the farms that grow Christmas trees stabilize soil, protect water supplies, and provide a refuge for wildlife while creating a nice scenic view. Often, Christmas trees are grown on soil that will not support any other crops. And when one Christmas tree is cut down, one or two are replanted in its place.

Artificial trees are made from oil-based products that use up our natural resources. They are also not recyclable and will remain in land-fills for centuries after disposal.

Real Christmas trees, on the other hand, are recyclable. The branches and trunk are biodegradable and can be made into mulch for the garden. A Christmas tree placed in the back yard will make a nice bird feeder and the birds can also use the trees branches for shelter during the winter winds. Large quantities of trees make effective barriers on beaches to prevent soil erosion. Sunk into ponds, the trees will also make an excellent refuge and feeding area for fish.

The communities where I live recycle the Christmas trees for the reasons mentioned above. Lake Minnetonka MN. DNR counts on the availability of trees for recycle; taking advantage of an opportunity which both makes use of natural resources and is also not accomplishable by other cost effective and environmentally supportive means.

In addition to direct natural resource conservation, there are also federal and state owned harvesting lands which are maintained for the purpose of supplementing state and regional DNR funding.

All of this to say that there really is no argument of "save the trees" regarding the pseduo exploitation of the Christmas Tree. There actually is a very well thought out environment enabling process which cares for the earth and comes full circle in beneficial recycling.

 

[DorkBoy]

Originally posted by: Kalvin00
Real all the way.

 

[LAUST]

I have a norfolk pine if that counts 🙂 I don't put anything on it though.

I cannot wait till Dec 26th 😀

 

[Konigin]

We normally have a FAKE tree but I'd prefer a LIVE one.

 

[Kelemvor]

We always get a Balsam or something like that. Looks great.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: trmiv
I'd prefer real if I'm going to have one, but my girlfriend is allergic, so we get fake.

Allergic?

Allergic to what? Forest Scent?

Seriously, that's bizzare.. I'd like to know more.. lol

Is she allergic to all conifers in general? :Q If not, you should be able to find her a type of tree that would be OK.

We've always gotten a live tree.

We've even used a real living tree(not a dead living tree.. lol).. potted.. heh.

And umm, hello? For you people saying that live trees are a waste[of a tree], and that its wrong, etc..

WTF? I mean, I care about trees too.. but you do realize that they're grown specifically for the purpose, right? They get cut down anyway, because they can't be allowed to grow too tall, so if you don't buy them.. they get turned into compost either way.

It's not like they go around and pluck them from the forests. 😛

It's a pretty lucrative business, since it costs virtually nothing to grow the trees, just time.

 

[Ornery]

Of the 20 Christmases we've had here, only two have been with live trees. Those were balled Douglas Firs, and they're both growing in the back yard to this day. Cut trees are a waste of time and money, IMO.

 

[bleeb]

It's senseless to cut down living trees which provide air and really hold soil for a useless tradition that lost it's meaning a LONG time ago.

Save the trees and buy fake.

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: bleeb
It's senseless to cut down living trees which provide air and really hold soil for a useless tradition that lost it's meaning a LONG time ago.

Save the trees and buy fake.

Moron, if people didnt buy the trees, they wouldnt be PLANTED in the first place, so people who buy Artificial trees would be depriving the world of the trees for the time it took to grow them..... not to mention they are immediately replaced with new trees growing... phhbt

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Linux23

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: EmperorIQ
FAKE FAKE FAKE FAKE. Real cost too much money and i dont' see a point in them. The fake ones look just as nice, and you can reuse them for next year, and the next year, and the next year, and the next year . . . . .

Uhh... real costs too much? I paid $25 bucks for a perfect 7' Noble that I selected and cut down myself right at the farm.

For appopin, it was "live" when I first saw it 😉

OK, it's DEAD (formerly Live) vs. ARTIFICIAL since "Fake" implies unreal or counterfeit.

😛

I prefer neither.

okay Uncle Scrooge. 😛

Well, the poster asked and "neither" was not in the poll choices.

Artificial seems stupid (to me) as it's not in the "spirit" of the Solstice Holiday and "(real/live) dead" is a Fire-Hazard. 😛

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Live trees smell so good, are always different year to year, and are fun to go cut down out of my neighbors yard. 😀

 

[DT4K]

Originally posted by: dxkj

Originally posted by: bleeb
It's senseless to cut down living trees which provide air and really hold soil for a useless tradition that lost it's meaning a LONG time ago.

Save the trees and buy fake.

Moron, if people didnt buy the trees, they wouldnt be PLANTED in the first place, so people who buy Artificial trees would be depriving the world of the trees for the time it took to grow them..... not to mention they are immediately replaced with new trees growing... phhbt

I thought this was common knowledge.

 

[Electric Amish]

Where's the "None" choice??

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: bleeb
It's senseless to cut down living trees which provide air and really hold soil for a useless tradition that lost it's meaning a LONG time ago.

Save the trees and buy fake.

This is going to sound strange, but real trees are good for the environment and artificial trees are bad.

The purchase of real trees encourages growing those trees on large farms (which provide air and hold soil) which might otherwise be used for some other (and certainly less environmentally-friendly) purpose. As soon as a tree is cut down, it is replaced with a new baby tree to grow in its place. After their use, real trees are recycled in an environmentally-friendly manner.

Artificial trees are made out of non-renewable coal and petroleum by-products in polluting factories. They cannot be recycled after use and will spend the next million years in landfills.