Living Christmas tree
Living Christmas trees are living spruce, fir and pine trees [1] decorated with ornaments and lights in the popular tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas (source). Most live trees fall into two categories, living trees and cut trees.
Cut trees dominate market sales and are easy to distinguish from their counterparts. Cut trees are live trees which are cut before sold. [2]
Living Christmas trees can be reused for several seasons, providing a longer life cycle for each tree. Naturally biodegradable, living Christmas trees provide an alternative to conventional disposable Christmas trees, reducing waste.
Living Christmas trees can be purchased or rented in by local market growers. Rentals are picked up after the holidays, while purchased trees can be planted by the owner after use or donated to local tree adoption/urban reforestation services.
The Cut Tree Industry
- Americans spent over $1.3 billion on cut trees in 2007. .[1]
- In 2007, U.S. consumers purchased more than 30 million cut-trees1, 8 million of these in California alone. [3]
- The majority of cut trees are grown in the Pacific Northwest and North Carolina1 and sold on throughout the US at prices 3-4 times their wholesale cost. [1]
- 80% of trees recycled In LA County end up in landfills as daily cover. [4]
The Artificial Tree Industry'
- 36% of households opted for an artificial tree in 2007, up from 25% in 20061. [1]
- Artificial trees retailed for over $1.2 billion in 20071, almost equaling sales of cut trees .[1]
- 85% of artificial trees are manufactured in China and shipped to the U.S. using high quantities of fuel for transportation. 1 .[1]
- Artificial trees are made from polyvinylchloride (PVC), which can be toxic and may be coated with lead dust . .[5]
- The average artificial tree is used only 5 or 6 times, is toxic when recycled, and takes centuries to decompose . .[6]
The Living Tree Industry
- A small percentage of consumers opt to purchase a living tree
- After the holidays living trees are planted by the owner or donated to Urban Reforestation Programs
- Planting space for living trees is difficult to find in urban areas
- A handful of local operations exist to rent living trees
Available in several countries such as the United States, UK and Canada.
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f [ http://www.christmastree.org/statistics_consumer.cfm] Cite error: The named reference "NCTA 2008" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ [1]
- ^ [ http://www.christmastree.org/statistics_consumer.cfm]
- ^ [ http://www.lacsd.org/info/solid_waste/christmas/christmas_tree_2007_2008.asp Link text], additional text.
- ^ [ http://www.chej.org/newsreleases/dioxin_academies_release.htm Link text], additional text.
- ^ [ http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/studies/pvc/landfill.pdfLink text], additional text.