Are real or artificial Christmas trees better for the environment?

Many American households are beginning to prepare for one of the biggest holidays of the year: Christmas. And for those who celebrate, that often means figuring out what to do about a tree the time-honored centerpiece of the season's festivities.

What type of tree or, in some cases, trees you choose largely comes down to personal preference. For many people, a real tree represents tradition - a chance to re-create memories of finding “The One” and hauling it home from the forest or a neighborhood tree lot - with a fresh scent that helps create a holiday atmosphere. On the other hand, artificial trees offer convenience, since they can be reused year after year and typically come with built-in lights or decorations.

But with more consumers becoming increasingly concerned about their purchases' environmental impact, you might be wondering which type of Christmas tree is more planet-friendly. Here's what you need to know when it comes to whether real or artificial trees are better for the environment. —The argument for real trees

While you might worry that chopping down tens of millions of trees each year amounts to an environmental nightmare, a real Christmas tree can be more sustainable than an artificial one, says Bill Ulfelder, executive director of the Nature Conservancy in New York.

“There should be no remorse, no guilt, like, ‘Oh my goodness, it's a cut tree.' It's absolutely the contrary,” says Ulfelder, who has a master's degree in forestry. “Trees are a renewable resource. When they're being cut, they're being harvested in ways that they're being replanted, so it's a great renewable resource that provides lots of environmental, conservation and nature benefits.”

For one, living trees absorb carbon dioxide - a main contributor to global warming - from the air and release oxygen. It can take at least seven years to grow a Christmas tree to its typical height of between six and seven feet, according to the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA), a trade group that in part represents growers and sellers of real trees. While estimates can vary significantly, one study suggests that growing Christmas trees may sequester nearly a ton of carbon dioxide per acre, according to the Sightline Institute. What happens to that carbon depends on how these trees are treated once they're cut and discarded.

As these trees grow, not only do they provide clean air, but they can also serve as wildlife habitats, help improve water quality and slow erosion, and preserve green spaces. Christmas trees are often grown on hillsides that wouldn't be suitable for farming other types of crops and for every tree harvested, one to three seedlings are planted the following spring, according to NCTA.

What's more, real trees can be repurposed in ways that continue to benefit the environment even after they're no longer living. Cities such as New York and D.C. have municipal programs that collect dead Christmas trees and turn them into mulch. The trees can also be used to prevent dune erosion or sunken in ponds and lakes to create natural habitats for freshwater wildlife, Ulfelder says.

“There's life for [real] Christmas trees after Christmas,” he says.

But Ulfelder and other experts recognize that there is an environmental cost to farming and distributing real trees. Growing

trees requires water and, in many cases, fertilizers and pesticides. On top of that, harvesting trees and shipping them from farms to stores or lots can produce emissions.

Still, real trees may be the preferred choice over artificial ones when it comes to overall sustainability, which also takes into account economic and social impacts, says Bert Cregg, a professor of horticulture and forestry at Michigan State University. “That's where I think the real trees are head and shoulders above” artificial trees, Cregg says.

There are nearly 15,000 Christmas tree farms in the United States, the vast majority of which are family-owned operations, and the industry provides full or part-time employment to more than 100,000 people, according to NCTA.

“Like any other agriculture, are you going to support local farmers or are you going to support a large manufacturer someplace else?” Cregg says.