Beautifully green, soft and coniferous – every year, millions of trees are bought and decorated during the Christmas season. The fresh scent of fir in the living room, along with the smell of vanilla crescents, orange punch and cinnamon stars, is simply part of the winter season. But what about the ecological footprint of conventional Christmas trees? And what alternatives can you fall back on?
The classic Christmas tree and its ecological footprint
The magnificent Nordmann fir is by far one of the most popular Christmas trees, followed by the blue spruce and red spruce. Almost 2.8 million Christmas trees are bought and put up in Austria every year. The majority of these naturally grown trees come from domestic cultivation, with most trees coming from Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Styria.
On tree plantations, Christmas trees require a lot of space and water on the one hand and are treated with herbicides, pesticides and mineral fertilizers on the other in order to grow well. In addition, the production of trees pollutes the soil, water and other ecosystems. However, whether a tree has a “good” or “bad” ecological balance depends heavily on the type of tree, the production conditions, transportation and disposal. Studies have shown that the so-called cultivated fir, which is raised on plantations, performs worst. When fir trees are cultivated, they have a life cycle assessment four times worse than that of a tree from the forest.
Plastic tree instead of natural tree?
Some households also resort to an artificial plastic Christmas tree for the festive season, which is usually imported from Asian countries. Although a plastic tree is fundamentally bad for nature, it can be worthwhile if used for a long time. However, according to calculations by a Canadian institute, the artificial tree would have to be used for around 16 years for the ecological balance sheet to match that of a “real” tree.
Sustainable Christmas tree alternatives
Alternative 1: Regional, organic or from the forest
There are now more and more organic Christmas trees on the market. In addition to organic certifications, seals such as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) can also provide an indication of whether the trees are environmentally friendly. In this form, no pesticides are used, beneficial insects find a home and sheep are often used to “mow” the areas between the trees. This means that fertilizers and pesticides can be largely dispensed with. Organic and naturally grown trees from the region are generally climate-neutral and environmentally friendly.
According to the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union in Germany, it is also advisable to choose spruce, pine and silver fir from special forestry sites, as the trees would be felled there anyway.
Alternative 2: Get creative and design your own tree!
Since the organic Christmas tree is not (yet) available everywhere and you have to dig deeper into your pockets for it, there are also some inexpensive alternatives for Christmas trees. If you like to be creative, you can also build, craft or paint your own unique Christmas tree. Some manufacturers also offer ready-made Christmas tree stands made of real wood that can be decorated with fresh greenery. You can also decorate your houseplants for Christmas or hang up a Christmas tree as an art print. With these sustainable ideas, you can save money in the long run and reuse the unique trees every year.
Alternative 3: Renting instead of buying
There are also companies that grow Christmas trees in pots and then rent them out. The advantage of this is that, with the right care, the tree can also be used in the garden later without any problems. However, it is questionable whether the same tree can be taken out of the ground a year later and used a second time for the festive season. There is also the option of moving the tree several times over the years into larger pots rather than directly into the garden. One problem, however, is that the trees are woken from hibernation indoors and thus lose their frost protection. So when they return to the garden or a cooler location after Christmas, they can very easily freeze to death. A good alternative would be to hire the tree from a nursery just for the festive period and return it there afterwards.