O Christmas Tree! Fresh or Fake?

Natural product grown on a farm ALWAYS better than more plastic junk made in a Chinese factory

Nice article. Like so many other pro-environmental writers, you are correct to tell your readers that a farm-grown Christmas tree is a much better eco-choice than a plastic, manufactured tree which is non-biodegradable.

However, I find it intriguing that you inform your readers that buying a tree from an "organic" tree farm is a better choice than a tree grown on any other tree farm. I’ve been looking into this issue since consumers ask us about it sometimes and based on the legitimate scientific research out there, no evidence exists to suggest that your assertion is correct. Do you know of any scientific research showing that organic trees are better somehow than non-organic ones? I recently read a fascinating book as part of my research called The Truth About Organic Foods by Alex Avery.

One of the most enlightening things I learned was that the common belief that organic farms don’t use pesticides is utterly and completely untrue. Copper Sulfate, Nicotine Sulfate, Bt, pyrethrum, Spinosad...the list of fungicides, insecticides and herbicides approved for use by the National Organic Standards Board reads like a toxicology report. Yet, curiously, I never see any mention of these pesticides in mainstream articles blithely telling readers that organic agricultural products are better for the environment. I think you owe it to your readers to tell them that organic farms do indeed use pesticides, they just come from different sources. But they are just as poisonous as man-made chemicals, and in some cases, much more toxic. And in many cases, the application rates of organic approved pesticides is much higher because they are not as effective at eliminating pests. So the environmental burden can actually be higher.

I also have a philosophical dilemma with your assertion that buying a tree from a local farm only is a good environmental choice. Would you suggest the same thing about all agricultural products? I mean, here in the Midwest, if I want a banana or an orange or many other farm-products, I have to get them from a long way away. Is this a bad environmental choice? Should I only eat peanuts if I live in Georgia? Should I only eat blueberries if I live in Maine or Michigan? Should I only wear cotton T-shirts if I live in Alabama or Mississippi? Personally, I’m glad I live in a country where I can buy agricultural products from all over the country (and even some imported) all year long. I don’t think that’s bad for the environment, I think it’s good for people.

To be clear, buying a Christmas tree from a local farm or even an organic farm are perfectly fine options. It’s not better or worse...just different. I just think it’s misleading to your readers to suggest that if they don’t do that, they are making a bad environmental choice. But it's certainly bad to buy more plastic junk made in China.

Thanks for supporting American Christmas Tree farmers.

Christmas Tree Guy of MO @ Dec 11, 2008 17:40:11 PM

"study"

I read somewhere that study was just a sham, paid for by a fake tree company out of California. And that post was clearly just a copy and paste job by some PR hack. I wonder if they feel the same way about people who drive out to an orchard to pick their own apples or peaches (a popular late summer activity here in the Midwest). Maybe we should all just completely isolate ourselves from agriculture so we know even less about it than we do now. The less we visit with and know about our neighboring farmers the better, huh?

What a joke of a comment Jami. I feel just the opposite. I think people should visit farms MORE often and buy the products they grow directly from them. Maybe we'll all learn a little about where our food and fiber comes from.

of MO @ Dec 11, 2008 17:30:10 PM

Also, this study does not mention the benefit derived from those 10 real trees that were purposely planted just for the christmas tree industry. They reduced the CO2 in the atmosphere for 8-10 years each, then the tree after christmas use is normally run through a chipper and turned into mulch for many green uses! In addition, the christmas tree farming industry adds jobs to the US economy while the fake tree, most likely made in china does little for the US. And... the argument about transporting the real trees home is not offset in this article by the fact that the fake tree most be shipped from china.

DJ Mora of CA @ Dec 08, 2008 15:50:17 PM

Yes, but...

Many people do not keep their trees for as long as this study dictates. Often, plastic trees are thrown out after a few years, and replaced by new ones.

Maura Judkis of DC @ Dec 08, 2008 13:06:36 PM