New Hampshire-Vermont Christmas Tree Association

General information

Is it better to buy real or artificial? Popular myths are that real trees are bad for the environment, artificial trees make more financial sense and real trees are just a hassle. Here are the facts to set the record straight.

If your No. 1 concern is the environment, your No. 1 choice should be a real tree. Growing, using and recycling real Christmas trees is GOOD for the environment. On an annual basis, an artificial tree has 3x more impact on climate change and resource depletion than a natural tree. Real Christmas trees are biodegradable and can even be recycled or reused for mulch. And every year the circle of life continues. Artificial trees are petroleum-based and mostly imported from overseas. Many are discarded after 7-10 years, ending up in landfills where they'll be, literally for centuries.

Remember that just like the Halloween pumpkin you carve with your kids or fresh-cut flowers you buy for a loved one, real Christmas trees are farmer-planted and hand-harvested specifically for people to enjoy. And, for every real Christmas tree harvested, a new tree is planted.

Real Christmas trees provide real business for real farmers. 100% of real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. are grown in North America.

What you gain with the ease of an artificial tree you lose in the experience of a real tree. Years from now, which will you remember more warmly: assembling a plastic tree you pulled out of the attic, or bringing home and decorating a real tree that you enjoyed selecting with friends and family? Everything from the scent to the search simply cannot be manufactured.

A real Christmas tree is a choice you can be proud of.