UPDATED 11/2023

Wondering what type of tree you should get this holiday season?  What is the lower tox choice:  a real, natural tree or an artificial tree?

 Here are my findings.

Artificial trees

• PVC trees
  

  - HOW TO ID THEM

• Box should specify it is made of ‘PVC”
  

• #3 in the recycling triangle
  

• Needles on the branches are flat
  

- ARE THEY HARMFUL?

Yes.

PVC, commonly called vinyl, is toxic.   When produced, it gives off some really bad, cancer causing chemicals called dioxins linked to cancer, birth defects, diabetes, learning and developmental delays, endometriosis, and immune system abnormalities.  The dioxins are released into the environment during the manufacturing process and end up in the food that animals eat (especially in fatty tissue).   Humans then eat the animals (meat and dairy products) and the dioxins then end up accumulating in our fatty tissue.

PVC trees can also expose you and your family to:

• lead (especially when the item is manufactured overseas) which is a known neurotoxin very dangerous for children.
  

• VOC’s : These chemicals are not only common allergens, but they can cause developmental damage, damage to the liver and central nervous, respiratory, and reproductive systems.
  

• flame retardant chemicals: These easily migrate to your house dust, exposing your family to some quite toxic chemicals

• Phthalates: plasticizers used in PVC that are endocrine disruptors linked to fertility issues, developmental issues and more
  

- Are they Environmental Friendly?

No.

• PVC gives off horrible chemicals into the environment during the production process
  

• don't biodegrade, so even if you use the tree for a decade, it will spend the next several decades sitting in a landfill.
  

What if you already have a PVC tree at home?

While not ideal, there are some things you can do to minimize your chemical exposure

 - When you first open a new artificial tree allow it to off gas (preferably outdoors but not in the sun which could contribute to deteriorating the plastic and more chemicals being released).

• PVC is said to start deteriorating after 9 years - so it would be smart to get rid of your tree on or before the 9 year mark before the deterioration of the PVC begins and more chemicals are released into your home.
  

• As always, keep dust to a minimum at home since many chemicals, like flame retardants, tend to migrate from the tree to the dust in your home
  

• Open windows everyday to let fresh air circulate indoors and allow VOCs and other chemicals out (yes, I am aware that Christmas is during winter!). Alternately use an air filter if you have one and do not want to open windows

2. Combo PE (polyethylene)/PVC plastic Trees

- How to identify them

• ‘Often labeled as being ‘PE’ but actually combine both PVC and PE
  

ARE THEY TOXIC?

yes 

• These are slightly better than all PVC trees… just because they have less PVC but still not great. Still contain phthalates and lead from the PVC
  

• Still have toxic flame retardants which will migrate to your home’s dust
  

ARE THEY ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY?

No.

• As we explained above, PVC gives off horrible chemicals into the environment during the production process
  

• Additionally, they don't biodegrade, so even if you use the tree for a decade, it will spend the next several decades sitting in a landfill.
  

3. PVC FREE plastic Trees

HOW TO ID THEM

Ikea has a couple of models of completely PVC and flame retardant free trees in stock. 

These are made of Polyethylene, Steel, PET plastic, Polypropylene, Polypropylene so it is likely also lead free (but if there are lights attached these likely contain some low levels of lead) 

ARE ARTIFICIAL TREES MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY? 

Various studies have found that, when compared to conventional natural Christmas trees, if you keep your 100% PE Christmas tree for 20 years it becomes more environmentally friendly than buying 20 natural Christmas trees over the same period of time.... so there is that!

If you prefer an artificial Christmas tree ,  make sure you choose a 100% PVC free tree.  If you have a combo PE/PVC tree,  keep it for about 9 years tops and take the measures listed above!

WHAT ABOUT NATURAL TREES?

I still like buying natural  Christmas trees… however if you enjoy natural trees keep this in mind

1. Unless you source an organic Christmas tree, most natural trees will have been sprayed by pesticides - to reduce exposure to any pesticide that could migrate from the tree into the dust in your home, keep dust at a minimum, and open windows everyday for a bit (also consider using an air filter if you have one)
   

2. Mold is a huge problem with natural Christmas trees. For 2 consecutive years we bought our trees at the same lot and once he set it up in our home I started having really bad allergies. Once year it got so bad that I could not be in the same room as the tree without having my eyes water and coughing non stop. It was torture. The year after that we tried a new place where we found a small collection of curated trees from a local small tree farm who reportedly did not spray with pesticides and checked for mold. Trees were freshly cut and brought directly from the farm/ same day- so they did not spend days in crates being transported. I am not sure if it was mold or pesticides that was causing my allergic reaction but since switching to this smaller tree farm I have not had any issues with our trees. Moral of the story: be careful with mold and pesticides particularly at larger Christmas tree lots.

3. what about tics? All my research points to it being highly highly unlikely for there to be tics in a Christmas tree. Tics rarely live on pine trees ( usually found in fallen piles of leaves etc). Often its insects that look like tics called Cinara aphids that are (again not very often) found on these trees and mistaken for tics. The good news : not a disease carrying insect
   

ANY OTHER ALTERNATIVE?

Driftwood trees are an alternative that some people really like. There is a store on ETSY called Maine Salty Girl that makes some