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Uploaded: Thursday, December 10, 2009, 4:09 PM
The Christmas tree conundrum
'Thy leaves are so unchanging' — especially when they're plastic
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by Kelsey Mesher
Mountain View Voice Staff
Photo
 | Last week the city of Mountain View erected its lighted tree in the City Hall rotunda: a tall noble fir, the symbol of a new holiday season. It's a faux noble fir, however, and city officials say they've been using the same artificial tree for the past several years.
Though the city reuses its tree each December, thousands of individual residents go the traditional route, opting for recently cut trees that are sold in lots around town every holiday season.
Don Beeson, owner of Grandpa's Christmas Trees and Grandpa's Pumpkin Patch, has been selling trees out of the San Antonio Shopping Center parking lot for the past six years, and in Palo Alto for "many, many, many years" before that. He says he sells about 1,000 trees, give or take, at his Mountain View location each year.
The "hardiest" tree, said Beeson, is the noble fir. It is also the slowest grower and the most expensive. Most nobles for sale on Grandpa's lot are between eight and 10 years old, and go for $10 per foot.
"The grand fir, that's kind of a flat needle tree — it's the most fragrant of all the trees," he said. "But they're also the most fragile of all the trees."
Douglas firs are slightly more durable than the grand firs, and they're the cheapest because they're the fastest growers, he said. A typical douglas fir takes only four to five years to mature.
All of Beeson's trees are grown on a 50-acre farm in Estacada, Ore., where the climate is ideal for evergreens. They cut the first crop the day before Thanksgiving, and ship the trees down the day after.
"We bring them as the season goes, as we need them, so they stay nice and fresh," he said, adding that larger distributors may start cutting trees as early as October.
"If you cut them too early, then once in a while you have a problem with them."
Regardless of where you purchase a tree, he said, the best practice is to run a hand up the branch: Healthy trees that are freshly cut will have soft, pliable bristles.
To keep the tree fresh through the season, have the seller cut off at least an inch from the base of the trunk. Also, use a stand with water, and add a teaspoon or two of sugar to help break down the sap that comes out of the tree.
The greenest tree
According to Forrest Linebarger, a green architect and CEO of Mountain View's VOX Design Group, there has been a long debate over whether real or synthetic trees are more environmentally friendly.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, he said, many close to the issue believe it is more sustainable to purchase a live tree each year than to use the same plastic tree repeatedly.
That's because fake trees "take a lot of energy to produce," he said. "They're almost all made of PVC plastic, and there is a fair amount of BPA in it, which is a chemical that has been found to have some health concerns in animals."
Linebarger cited a 2008 Environmental Protection Agency study that claimed PVC breaks down after about nine years, meaning older plastic trees could cause contamination in the home. A small percentage even have traces of lead, he said.
"It takes about 20 years for the (environmental) footprint to be equal between an artificial tree and a natural tree," he said, so buying a small live tree each year is preferable -- so long as it was grown relatively close to where it was purchased.
"But there are greener ways to go," he added, such as using a tree from the yard that might be cut down anyway, or buying a potted tree and planting it after the holidays.
The latter suggestion comes with a warning: "Most conifers grow quite large and fairly quickly." Those with less space might want to go with a smaller species, such as a spruce.Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by Esperanza Sanz, a resident of the Whisman Station neighborhood, on Dec 11, 2009 at 2:19 pm The more environmentally friendly tree is the one that never was cut to use it (and will end if it is lucky in the compost bin---otherwise in the landfill generating extra carbon footprint)or that one that never was produced with plastic normally and at some point will be disposed in the landfill (even if you reuse it).
If you really want to continue with the Tree tradition, get one that can stay in a pot. Not all the species grow as fast.
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Posted by kanank, a resident of the Shoreline West neighborhood, on Dec 11, 2009 at 2:51 pm Why don't we plant a tree somewhere in the near vicinity and decorate that tree every year instead of all these controversy and complications? make things simple and viable. cutting a real tree or a buying plastic tree is all contrary to 'going green'. sure these 2 things keep commerce alive and robust but bad for the environment.
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Posted by Andrew Bachmann, a resident of another community, on Dec 11, 2009 at 3:11 pm I agree that the best solution for the city is to pick a good location and grow our own tree, to use each year without cutting it down.
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Posted by dfb, a resident of the Shoreline West neighborhood, on Dec 12, 2009 at 2:26 am My grandfather used to have a fir in a giant pot. He wheeled that sucker in every year on Thanksgiving and wheel it back out on New Year's day. I personally don't bother getting a tree. Decorating outside is just as much fun. :-)
My understanding is that some conifers do better in pots than other varieties.
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Posted by try a potted tree!, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Dec 12, 2009 at 8:36 am I encourage everyone to give a potted tree a try! You have to trim it, but they last decades.
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Posted by eric, a resident of another community, on Dec 12, 2009 at 5:46 pm Real Christmas trees are a farmed product. Every tree that gets cut is re-grown. Because of Christmas Tree sales, there are MORE trees in existance in the world, grown in a sustainable manner.
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Posted by Ed, a resident of the Jackson Park neighborhood, on Dec 13, 2009 at 8:09 am I'm just grateful we still call it a Christmas tree.
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Posted by Dee, a resident of the North Whisman neighborhood, on Dec 14, 2009 at 1:41 pm Me too, Ed. A Christmas tree it is.
Dee
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Posted by USA, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Dec 14, 2009 at 3:51 pm
USA is a member (registered user) of Mountain View Voice Merry Christmas, Ed.
I have always had a real tree but went with an artificial tree a few years ago for fire safety reasons.
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Posted by The Dad, a resident of the Cuesta Park neighborhood, on Dec 14, 2009 at 5:29 pm Fear not those concerned w/ being green. A xmas tree nowadays is basically a row crop, farmed and harvested just like any other crop.
If you want to reduce your carbon foot print though, cut a local tree
from 10 miles away. We do have some pretty amazing mountains close to (ahem) _Mountain_ View with great tree farms atop Page Mill road and more further to the south. Its unfortunate that so many buy a tree grown hundreds and hundreds of miles away./ Many lot trees are trucked in to town from Oregon or Washington.
In the grand scheme of things, though, that's just a blip, so really, aside from it being nice to support local growers in a local economy, don't worry, and just have a Merry Christmas
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Posted by Scott Stanford, a resident of the Shoreline West neighborhood, on Dec 14, 2009 at 6:02 pm I definitely recommend cutting your own *local* tree (if you can't use a potted tree or other live one in your backyard). The trees definitely regrow when cut correctly (the tree we cut this year was growth from a tree that had been cut several times before), and it's a great family experience. Just remember to check the dog for ticks when you're done.
Oh, and the Douglas Fir is MUCH lighter than the Noble Fir. I can manhandle an 11' Douglas by myself, but it took two of us a *considerable* effort to upright an 11' Noble in our house a few years ago. Lots of huffing, puffing, and swearing.
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Posted by Johnny Lucid, a resident of the Waverly Park neighborhood, on Dec 16, 2009 at 9:57 am "They're almost all made of PVC plastic, and there is a fair amount of BPA in it, which is a chemical that has been found to have some health concerns in animals."
Mr. Linebarger doesn't know diddly squat. Just how much is a "fair amount?" IS there any BPA even present? Has he had the PVC tree tested for BPA?
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Posted by Reel-Truth, a resident of another community, on Dec 21, 2009 at 8:52 pm It should be called a pagan tree cause we are celebrating the equinox not Jesus b-day (that is in august. Lets plant a trees not kill them.
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