The author of the text is MSc. Agata Woźnicka
Christmas is coming and, as every year, we are faced with a choice - to buy a live or artificial Christmas tree?Some of us cannot imagine Christmas Eve without the smell of a live tree, others are guided by convenience or want to save forests.What are the advantages and disadvantages of real and artificial Christmas trees?
Nothing compares to the resin aroma that appears in the home with the living tree. Indeed, it requires more care and is more dirty, but there are many ways to minimize problems. A properly cared-for Christmas tree will enjoy its appearance for a long time.
We can decide for ourselves whether we prefer the intense aroma and affordable price of spruce, or choose a more expensive fir, from which the needles will not drop. By buying an artificial Christmas tree, we will avoid these dilemmas, but we have to take into account a much greater expense and find a suitable place for storage after Christmas so that the tree does not get damaged.
It is not true that when we buy live trees, we destroy forests.It is important to buy them from a proven source - plantations or forest districts.It seems that plantations occupy space where a natural forest could grow. However, they are usually located in places where tall trees cannot grow, such as under power lines. Trees grown for Christmas trees produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide, they are the habitat of many organisms.
Ideas to decorate your garden for Christmas
The root that remains in the soil, like a thrown Christmas tree, quickly decomposes, provides food for microorganisms, and the plant's biomass returns to nature.The tree can also be used in the garden after Christmas.After crumbling, it is perfect for sprinkling under plants that prefer acidic soil, such as blueberries, rhododendrons or heathers.
Artificial Christmas tree and ecology
The cultivation of live Christmas trees gives many benefits to nature, the production of artificial ones - on the contrary.Toxic volatile substances, dusts and gases are generated during the production and utilization of artificial trees.These trees will decompose in the garbage can for several hundred years. They are difficult to burn due to the difficulty of separating the plastic from the metal branches.
Artificial trees have nothing to do with ecology.Even though their appearance is getting nicer and more natural every year, and artificial snow and artificial forest scent are available in stores - only a living tree will create a real, unique atmosphere of Christmas.
