Americans are divided on choosing real or fake Christmas trees

The natural Christmas tree industry is facing significant challenges this year as it struggles with the growing dominance of artificial competitors.

Unlike other agricultural sectors with massive advertising budgets, the Real Christmas Tree Board operates on an annual budget of less than $1 million, struggling to compete with the convenience and cost-effectiveness of imported plastic trees.

Customers are debating whether to choose a natural or artificial Christmas tree, with several noting the significant economic and environmental impacts of the real tree industry.

Each year, American consumers purchase between 25 and 30 million real trees, all sourced from a massive inventory of 350 million trees currently growing across 15,000 farms nationwide.

The farms employ over 100,000 people, and consumers shifting to cost-effective plastic trees will hurt the sector.

Meanwhile, China produces 80% of the world's artificial trees. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on the nations could hike up prices of such trees, lights, and ornaments, warn experts.

Overall, plastic Christmas trees are reusable but mostly made of non-biodegradable materials and may contain potential toxins. Real trees, on the other hand, remain a fully renewable resource.