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Environment
Curtis VanderSchaaf, Assistant Professor of Forestry, Mississippi State University

Real or artificial? A forestry scientist explains how to choose the most sustainable Christmas tree, no matter what it's made of

Every year, Americans buy somewhere between 35 million and 50 million Christmas trees, and many more pull an artificial tree out of storage for the season. In all, about three-quarters of U.S. households typically have some kind of Christmas tree, surveys show.

People often ask which is more sustainable – a real tree or an artificial one? It’s a big debate, and the answer depends on who you ask and which factors you consider.

A more useful question is: How do I find the most sustainable tree of the kind I want to get?

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