The Great Holiday Debate: Real or Fake Christmas Trees?

Aug. 7, 2011 - PRLog -- The Garden Gates of Metairie, LA, a high-end retailer of home and garden products, is planning for the holiday season in advance, and is ready to help customers find greener Christmas tree options.  Chad Harris, co-owner of The Garden Gates, helps settle an annual debate: real or fake Christmas trees?

“Real trees are by far the greenest option for the holiday season.  Not only will the rich, piny fragrance help get you in the holiday spirit, but you’ll also be spreading Christmas cheer by recycling your tree after the festivities are over,” Chad explains.  

Artificial trees are made from PVC, which can result in harmful emissions of carcinogens (dioxin, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride).  On the other hand, an acre of fir trees can absorb about 11,308 lbs of carbon dioxide.  Real Christmas trees are also recyclable, while fake Christmas trees are very difficult to reuse.  Real trees can be recycled into mulch, where they can be used in landscaping and gardening and also chipped and used for hiking trails, playgrounds, beachfront erosion, paths and walkways.  Real trees are also excellent habitats for pond dwellers and other wildlife.  

For each tree harvested, farmers plant one to three seedlings to ensure a healthy supply of trees.  The land used to plant Christmas trees is often on marginal land, which can’t be used for any other purpose.  However, Christmas tree farms are an excellent habitat for wild animals.  

Besides being a greener alternative to artificial trees, real fir trees are richly fragrant, vivid in color and have many other desirable characteristics.  The Fraser fir, native to the Appalachian area in North America, has resilient, upward-turned branches.  This contributes to the tree’s compact appearance.  This also makes it extremely easy to transport, store and hang ornaments.  

The Garden Gates is proud to offer a direct ship program courtesy of North Carolina Fraser Fir Trees.  Trees are fresh from the field and are delivered to the customer’s door within 24-48 hours, so the tree is still fresh and aromatic.  In addition to real Christmas trees, The Garden Gates is proud to offer the finest home decor, garden accents apparel and many other high-quality products.  Get in touch with the Garden Gates by phone at (877) 780-6699 or by fax at (504) 324-0750 and online at www.thegardengates.com.  Please call with any questions or suggestions about North Carolina Fresh Fraser Fir Trees or any of the other distinguished products offered by The Garden Gates.