Contains affiliate links. All opinions are honest, as always.
Do you like to get a real Christmas tree, or do you reuse a faux one? I am firmly in the real Christmas tree camp, for a multitude of reasons, both environmental and aesthetic. No matter how realistic a fake tree looks, you just can’t beat that Christmas tree smell. I know that the best thing for the environment is to not have a Christmas tree at all. But honestly that makes me feel so sad. So we try to minimise the effect on the planet, by choosing a locally grown sustainable Christmas tree.
In my opinion, you can’t beat picking your own real Christmas tree, fresh from the field. The photos are from a few years ago but we go most years, and it’s such fun, and so festive I thought I’d share the experience of choosing your perfect sustainable real Christmas Tree with you.
What About Growing Your Own Christmas Tree?
The most sustainable Christmas tree is one with roots (a root-balled tree), that you can pot up in the garden after Christmas. But this can be hit or miss depending on your gardening skills and whether you have a garden. My parents do this, but even though they are great gardeners, after a year or two, the tree looks decidedly bedraggled, so I know that my very limited gardening skills would not be up to the job!
I think this would be the most cost effective type of Christmas tree, as well as the most sustainable. The annual cost of buying a real Christmas tree is higher than buying an artificial one once, so looking after one in your garden to reuse each year would be the most affordable Christmas tree overall.
In some areas, you can rent Christmas trees which is amazing, but that hasn’t come up to Milton Keynes yet. So until we can get that option, we will continue to go to our local farm and choose our own real Christmas tree.
How to Find Your Local Christmas Tree Farm
I like to buy my real Christmas tree from a local grower, and member of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association. It means their farm is planted sustainably here in the UK. You can find your local Christmas tree farm at the BCTG website by typing in your postcode.
We are lucky to have several Christmas tree farms close to us including Stoke Goldington Christmas Trees, and Stagsden Christmas Trees, which are both part of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association.
Hunting for the Perfect Christmas Tree
Most Christmas tree farms have fields of Christmas trees to choose from, and charge by the metre. When we go to Stoke Goldington Christmas Trees, they direct you to the right area of the farm for the height you need, and the type of tree. They also give the grown ups some mulled wine, which really helps you get into the Christmas spirit!
We spent about a quarter of an hour exploring, looking at the Christmas trees before we found our ideal tree. The girls absolutely loved it and were running about asking “is this one the right size?”
Then, we found it. The perfect height and bushiness for the Pink family. Look at those smiles!
We had a quick look at the rest of the field just in case there was an even better one. But there wasn’t so went back to find this beauty. One of the guys who works at the farm came over and chopped it down for us.
Getting Our Perfect Real Christmas Tree Home
Then we just had to carry our tree to the car parking area to get it put in a net, and to pay. The people who work there will help if you need it, but Ryan decided to carry our tree himself. Our Christmas tree is around 6 foot tall, and cost ยฃ45. I think that’s reasonable as it’s a Nordman Fur and is fresh from the field. I’m also happy to be supporting a local farm, and we really enjoyed the experience! They are only open on weekends so if you’re thinking of visiting, check their website first to make sure they are open.
As you can see, we had lovely bright weather when we went to get our tree. We decorated it that evening. We always use the same decorations each year, perhaps adding one or two new ones to replace the ones that inevitably break. You can see a time lapse video I took of us decorating it here!
So Is Buying a Real Christmas Tree Better for the Environment?
The evidence points to yes. There is a school of thought that says reusing a fake Christmas tree is better. And I’m all for reusing if you already have one, or there’s a reason you can’t have a real tree. Reuse that bad boy for as long as you possibly can! Apparently you’d need to use it for over 10 years to be less environmentally damaging than a real tree. I know some people who have had theirs for 30 years or more, so that’s amazing. Sadly I don’t think many people keep them for that long.
But if you don’t have a fake Christmas tree already, there is a lot of evidence to say that choosing a real Christmas Tree is much better for the environment. Fake trees are made of plastic, and it takes a huge amount of energy to manufacture them. And disposing of it the end of its life is a big problem. They can’t be recycled, so they end up in landfill. It’s as simple as that.
The Carbon Trust estimates that a 2 metre fake tree has a carbon footprint around 40kg of greenhouse gas emissions. That’s more than twice the amount of a natural tree that ends up in landfill. It’s over ten times that of real trees that are burnt.
Why Real Christmas Trees Are Better for the Environment
A real Christmas tree absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, as it grows. They are slow growing (it can take up to seen years to grow to a good height!) and are replenished each year with new seedlings.
Real trees also provide habitats for wildlife, and a business for local farmers. The only carbon used to transport them is you driving to collect it. The Carbon Trust state that a real Christmas tree has a significantly lower carbon footprint than an artificial tree.
The most important part of the life cycle of a real Christmas tree is disposal.
The Carbon Trust say:
“For a 2 metre tall real Christmas tree, with no roots, the carbon footprint is 16kg CO2e if it ends up in landfill. This is because the tree decomposes and produces methane gas, which is 25 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
However if you burn your Christmas tree on the bonfire, plant it or have it chipped to spread on the garden, that significantly reduces the carbon footprint by up to 80% (around 3.5kg CO2e). Burning the tree emits the carbon dioxide that it stored up when it was growing so there’s no net increase.”
Taking Care of Your Real Christmas Tree
Real Christmas trees are surprisingly thirsty! Pop them in a nice big bucket so you don’t have to keep refilling it all the time. We use an old bucket from the garden with a stand inside it and use a wicker Christmas tree skirt to disguise the bucket. If they ever break, I’ll be replacing them with this smart Christmas tree stand, designed for real trees!
Make sure your Christmas tree has a fresh cut on the end of the trunk. If you’re getting it from a farm, this is much easier! Put it in water as soon as you get home.
Don’t place your tree near a radiator or fire, they like to be cool.
How To Recycle Your Christmas Tree
Taking down the Christmas Tree is the saddest isn’t it? But it can go on to do better things! Check with your local council as they often collect them for free, to turn into woodchips or compost. Our local cancer hospice also take them, in exchange for a donation.
