FAKE Christmas Tree Facts
- Most FAKE Christmas Trees (85%) in the U.S. are imported from China. Almost 10 Million FAKE Christmas Trees were sold worldwide in 2003. The U.S. Commerce Dept. tracks the Import of FAKE Christmas Trees.
- Have you ever wondered what the factories are like where FAKE Christmas Trees are made? As noted in the Washington Post, "On the concrete floors of Zhang's Shuitou Company factory, migrant workers, most earning about $100 a month, squat in front of hissing machinery as they melt chips into moldable plastic..."
- Most FAKE Christmas Trees are made of metals and plastics. The plastic material, typically PVC, can be a potential source of hazardous lead. Read a warning about them from the Children's Health Environmental Coalition.
- The potential for lead poisoning is great enough that FAKE Christmas Trees made in China are required by California Prop 65 to have a warning label.
- Some FAKE Christmas Trees have a wooden center pole. In 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture placed a quarantine on FAKE Christmas Trees from China, which had a potentially harmful beetle in the center pole.
- Overloaded electrical outlets and faulty wires are the most common causes of holiday fires in residences - these are just as likely to affect FAKE Christmas Trees as REAL Christmas Trees.
- As mentioned before, most FAKE Christmas Trees are manufactured in China and contain PVC (polyvinyl chloride). In fact, FAKE Christmas Trees were recently added to the Center for Health, Environment & Justice's list of household products containing PVC.
- According to the Children's Health Environmental Coalition, the manufacture of PVC creates and disperses dioxins, which include the most toxic man-made chemical known. Released into air or water, dioxins enter the food chain, where they accumulate in fatty tissues of animals and humans, a potential risk for causing cancer, damaging immune functions and impairing children's development. This issue is especially concerning due to China's weak enforcement of environmental regulations.
- FAKE Christmas Trees are a petroleum-based product manufactured primarily in Chinese factories. The average family uses a FAKE Christmas Tree for only six to nine years before throwing it away, where it will remain in a landfill for centuries after disposal.
It's time to stop supporting China's economy and start helping ours! Buy a Wholesale Christmas Tree from Brown's Tree Farm and know that the money you spend will go back into OUR economy!
REAL Christmas Tree Facts
- While they're growing, REAL Christmas Trees support life by absorbing carbon dioxide and other gases and emitting fresh oxygen. The farms that grow Christmas Trees stabilize soil, protect water supplies and provide refuge for wildlife while creating scenic green belts. Often, Christmas Trees are grown on soil that doesn't support other crops.
- REAL Christmas Trees are grown on farms just like any other crop. To ensure a constant supply, Brown's Tree Farm plants one to three new seedlings for every Christmas Tree we harvest.
- There are about 21,000 Christmas Tree growers in the U.S., and over 100,000 people employed full or part-time in the industry.
- It can take as many as 15 years to grow a Christmas Tree of average retail sale height (6 - 7 feet) or as little as 4 years, but the average growing time is 7 years.
- Don't just take our word for it - see what other environmental experts have to say on the subject...
- A REAL Christmas Tree is five time more environmentally compatible than a plastic tree, according to this study by Swedish researchers.
- The American Forests organization also supports the growth and use of Real Christmas Trees for many reasons.
- For environmental reasons, Yoga Journal recommends a live or cut Christmas Tree over the use of an artificial tree.
- According to an article in Newsweek, experts recommend that you should "always go real."
Brown's Tree Farm has been growing and selling REAL Christmas Trees for over 35 years! We are proud be a part of your holiday season. Of course we would like you to buy your Wholesale Christmas Trees from us but even if for some reason you are not able to, we highly encourage you to buy REAL Christmas Trees from someone this holiday season.
Note: The information above was provided by the National Christmas Tree Association. We would like to thank the NCTA for all of their research and support.