Christmas Tree Showdown: Natural Trees vs Artificial Trees
UPDATED 12/2025
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?
I have been updating this blog post for 9 years and this year FINALLY some good news in the artificial tree front… I finally found an artificial tree that is PVC, flame retardant, phthalate and lead free! More on that below! but first: 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. Best to clean dust with a damp cloth and use a HEPA air filter if you have one and a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter
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
Most mid and high priced artificial Christmas trees today fall into this category
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 (hint: these are the better options)
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)
Finally another, actually better, option: Balsam Hill has a new line of “sustainable reNEW trees that are made from recycled or plant based plastic. The great news is that they achieve fire resistance through the use of inherently fire resistant materials that safely smolder or melt without bursting into flames. The design ensures safety WITHOUT the need for flame retardant chemicals The company assures that their trees “ do not contain lead or phthalates” either.
Are they perfect? Well, no. They are still made out of plastic so they will likely give off some level of microplastics (and potentially some other chemical additives used in the production of the sugar based PE)… however at room temperature this type of plastic should be stable, meaning not a lot of off gassing of anything . Additionally: end of life recycling is not available yet (the company is working on this with a test program in GErmany) , so still not great for the environment. BUT: These are very big and pretty and , in my opinion, probably the best alternative in the artificial tree arena
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; ideally the new BAlsam Hill reNEW trees ; specifically their “sparse True Needle trees” which have 95% plant based polyethelene needles (this includes their ASPEN SILVER FIR TREE
WHAT ABOUT NATURAL TREES?
I still like buying natural Christmas trees… however if you enjoy natural trees keep this in mind:
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). The website www.greenpromise.com has a list of organic CHristmas tree farms (its an old post so not all the farms listed have working websites)
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.
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
An alternative I have seen recently on social media is spraying trees down with water before bringing them indoors. This would be maybe helpful to reduce (not eliminate) pesticides or bugs… but make sure it is thoroughly dry before brining indoors otherwise you might get a mold issue !
Finally another alternative is purchasing a live tree that eventually gets replanted after the holidays. These usually come in pots
Finally, in some areas of the country you can rent a living Christmas tree from a service that will deliver it, pick it up after the holidays, and replant it for you. This company does this in Southern California
Hope this is helpful!!