Many environmentalists prefer real Christmas trees over fake ones because of substantial 'ecological benefits'

A Maine family's annual outing to cut
down their Christmas tree. (TRB photo)

Christmas preparations include dear traditions, and for some Americans, that means a trip to their local Christmas tree farm, where they may sleuth and argue for the best fir to chop down and haul home for the beloved decking of the tree. Little do some know their yearly outing supports more than the Christmas tree farmer. "The ecological benefits of real Christmas trees are why many environmentalists endorse them over the fake, petroleum-based versions shipped from half a world away," reports Cara Buckley of The New York Times. "Christmas tree farms can function much like young forests, said Andy Finton, a forest ecologist with the Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts."

Several years ago, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests started a Christmas tree farm. A few years into its planting, Nigel Manley, who oversaw the operations, "began noticing some interesting developments among the rows of fragrant balsam and Fraser firs lining the land," Buckley writes. "In the spring, areas around the younger trees drew ground nesters like bobolinks — songbirds that migrate to and from South America — killdeer and woodcocks, who availed themselves of the open spaces . . . . Mice and voles living on the land drew foxes and migratory raptors such as kestrels and harriers, who feasted on the cornucopia each time the grass was mowed."

The Rocks Christmas Tree Farm in New Hampshire.
(Photo by Nigel Manley, SPNHF)

Beyond wildlife homes, the firs make their space healthier. Finton told Buckley: "They're pulling carbon from the atmosphere. They're cleaning the air and, in many cases, cleaning the drinking water. They're keeping the landscape undeveloped, preventing impervious surfaces, by giving economic incentives to landowners." Buckley adds, "Ten years ago, researchers "documented 80 plant species at tree farms in North Carolina, including milkweed growing waist-high at the edges of fields, which drew 17 genera of bees and predatory insects that gobbled up tree pests."

Because of pesticide use in larger tree farms, some ecologists don't support the practice, Buckley reports. "Yet Bert Cregg, a professor of horticulture and forestry at Michigan State University, said Christmas tree growers generally want to minimize use of the chemicals. . . . .Pesticides are expensive, he said, and many growers live on-site and don't want to be exposed."

Tom Norby, the president of the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association, said that "a small portion of the trees were harvested each year, leaving roughly 90 percent growing and available for animals," Buckley reports.