[New York Diary] The Eco-Friendly Debate Sparked by Trunkless Christmas Trees

Christmas decoration live trees for sale on a residential street in Manhattan, New York, in early December last year

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] At the end of last year, ahead of the Christmas season, a number of unusual street vendors appeared in the residential areas of Manhattan, New York. They were merchants selling dozens of 'Christmas decoration' fresh-cut trees with their trunks trimmed, lined up on the streets. Seeing them positioned about one per few blocks, I was curious. Where were all these trees cut from? Who would buy so many trees? What happens to the trees that don't sell?

And about a month later, this week, Christmas trees appeared again on the streets of Manhattan. The Christmas trees that had shared joyful year-end celebrations have now served their purpose and been discarded. In the building where I live, there was a notice from the New York Department of Sanitation this week (6th to 14th) stating that trees will be collected, so residents should remove all decorations and place the trees at designated street corners. Where do these discarded trees go now?

At the beginning of January, Christmas trees are discarded throughout Manhattan, New York.

There is probably no country as earnest about Christmas decorations as the United States. Every season, people are busy decorating inside and outside their homes for new holidays, but the peak is undoubtedly Christmas. Unlike Korea, where artificial trees are mainly used, many American homes decorate Christmas trees with natural fresh-cut trees. According to the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA), 25 to 30 million Christmas trees are sold annually in the U.S.

In households with children, December often means visiting suburban tree farms to select and saw down a tree together. There are as many as 875 tree farms located in New York State alone, and the New York State Christmas Tree Farm Owners Association also exists. The fresh trees sold by street vendors scattered throughout Manhattan residential areas and at stores like Whole Foods come from these farms, which are in their 'peak season.'

After Christmas, these trees discarded on the roadside on designated dates become the responsibility of the New York City Department of Sanitation. The collected Christmas trees are shredded and mixed with leaves to be used as compost for parks and gardens throughout New York City. They are also spread in rivers and lakes to create habitats for wildlife. Bill Ulfelder, Executive Director of the U.S. environmental organization The Nature Conservancy, said, "Natural trees have another life after Christmas." This process is called 'MulchFest.'

However, in the U.S., where people are passionate about tree decorating, debates recur every winter. The argument centers on which is the more environmentally friendly choice: natural trees or artificial trees. Sarah, a woman in her 30s who decorated with an artificial tree this year, recalled, "After buying a Christmas tree (natural tree), I was openly criticized for 'feeling sorry for the tree.'" The argument started from the claim that cutting down tens of thousands of trees every year is a terrible environmental destruction.

However, The Nature Conservancy counters that using natural trees as Christmas trees can be a more sustainable decision than artificial trees. First, one cannot ignore the massive carbon emissions from the production to disposal of plastic artificial trees.

On the other hand, tree farms plant 1 to 3 seedlings in place of each tree cut for Christmas trees. The Nature Conservancy emphasizes, "This means more trees are fighting climate change and providing nature with benefits such as clean air and water, wildlife habitats, and healthy soil." They added, "Of the 500 million trees growing on tree farms across the U.S., only about 3,000 are used as Christmas trees," and "More than half of U.S. forests are privately owned, so buying real trees supports farms and helps maintain healthy forests for future generations."

However, if artificial trees are used for a long time, this carbon emission balance can be reversed. A 2009 in-depth study found that using an artificial tree for 20 years could be more environmentally friendly in terms of carbon emissions than natural trees. Another survey showed that about half of artificial tree users in the U.S. plan to use their purchased artificial trees more than 10 times. In conclusion, experts advise that if you have already purchased an artificial tree, you should use it as long as possible. Andy Finton, a forest ecologist at the Massachusetts Audubon Society, evaluated that the issue of artificial versus natural trees from a climate change perspective is "much more complex and subtle than people think."