There are many reasons to buy a fresh tree instead of an artificial tree.

• One acre of fresh Christmas trees produces enough oxygen daily for the needs of 18 people. With nearly a half million acres of commercial trees in the U.S., that’s a lot of clean air being produced.
• Christmas tree farms provide a significant amount of wildlife habitat; it takes seven to ten years for a Christmas tree to reach harvesting maturity, so there’s lots of time and space for allowing birds and other critters to thrive.
• From a “Made-in-America” perspective, fresh Christmas tree farming deserves the same emotional support that most of us feel for our other local farmers. Over 85% of artificial Christmas trees are produced in Asia, whereas nearly the entire fresh tree industry is in the U.S.
• Artificial trees are manufactured, and are made of mostly plastic and petroleum.
• Without any way to be recycled, artificial trees are a landfill staple.
• PVC and the manufacturing processes of PVC create dioxins which are some of the most toxic substances known.

Source: Alive East Bay magazine, December 2007, “Christmas Trees: which is best, natural or artificial?”