Are Artificial Christmas Trees Really More Environmentally Sound?

NPR

Published December 18, 2014 at 11:35 AM MST

Tree farms provide the majority of Christmas trees. (jpmatth/Flickr)

Three million American families will buy real Christmas trees this year. Most are grown in either Oregon or North Carolina, the top two Christmas-tree-producing states in the country.

However, the real-tree industry has something in common with many other businesses: competition with China. About 79 percent of people now use artificial Christmas trees.

One reason people purchase artificial trees is because they believe they’re more environmentally sound. But is that true?

From the Here & Now’s Contributors Network, Dave DeWitt of WUNC explores that question.