At WiseGEEK, we're committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy information. Our expert-authored content is rigorously fact-checked and sourced from credible authorities. Discover how we uphold the highest standards in providing you with reliable knowledge.
What Some Advantages of Live Christmas Trees?
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Live Christmas trees are living trees with root balls that are decorated for Christmas and the holiday season and planted once they have outlived their usefulness. They have a number of advantages over cut Christmas trees and artificial trees, and some environmental organizations support the use of live Christmas trees when at all possible. Many nurseries carry live trees which can be used for the holidays, and it is also possible to order them through specialty companies. In some communities, live tree rental is an option.
One of the most obvious advantages of a live Christmas tree is that after Christmas, the tree can be planted. By planting a tree, people will directly contribute to the health of the environment, as trees help to sequester carbon dioxide and they also scrub the air. When strategically planted, a tree can also lower heating and cooling bills by helping to insulate a home.
By contrast, cut trees must be disposed of after the holiday season. When mulched, cut trees are reasonably low-impact, but if they are burned or disposed of in landfills, this can hurt the environment. Artificial trees are often produced in environmentally unfriendly ways, and when they are too tattered to use, they are typically disposed of in landfills, thereby adding to overall landfill capacity.
In the home, live Christmas trees help to scrub the air during the holidays, which can be an advantage when the house is crowded with family. The risk of fire is also reduced with a live tree, and live trees release their resinous scent throughout the holiday, staying fresh, green, and beautiful. Live Christmas trees also come in a range of sizes, from small trees designed for the tabletop to mammoths which can be installed in foyers and lobbies.
Small live Christmas trees can be kept in pots and reused for several years, and shaped with regular pruning, becoming part of the permanent décor of the home. Larger trees can be planted after the holidays. For people who do not have the space to plant trees, some cities offer live Christmas tree rental. The city or sponsoring organization delivers the tree at the beginning of the holidays, and takes it away for planting after the New Year. Christmas tree rental programs have been used to increase the population of urban trees in many cities while providing people who want live Christmas trees with a convenient option.
Mary McMahon
Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.
Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.
Learn more...AS FEATURED ON:
AS FEATURED ON:
-
![A house with a live Christmas tree in the yard.]()
By: dred2010A house with a live Christmas tree in the yard. -
![Live trees can be planted after Christmas is over.]()
By: bruwigLive trees can be planted after Christmas is over.
Discussion Comments
I've thought about getting a living Christmas tree for a few years now. After reading all of the advantages of a live tree, and all of the disadvantages of a cut or an artificial tree, I've made up my mind. Next year I will get a live tree.
I especially like the fact that it could help with cutting down on costs by helping to insulate my home better. Where can I find information about where to plant the tree so this is possible?
What does it mean that a live tree scrubs the air? Does it somehow get rid of germs? That's the impression I get by the fact that it's helpful during times when it is crowded indoors, as these are times when viruses and bacteria run rampant.
If this is true, I'm definitely going to buy a live Christmas tree next year.
It always seems like live Christmas trees are harder to care for but the amazing smell they bring to the home is priceless. The incredible pine smell that comes to your nose when you get an amazing whiff of the aroma that a real Christmas tree brings, you will never want to bring a fake tree into your home. Never will I ask for a tree made out of oil because it has the amazing ability to stay in a box all year without drying up and turning gray.
Post your comments