Whether it’s first time in a new home or just time for something new, buying a Christmas tree can be an expensive purchase, so you’ll want to make sure you make the right decision.

One point to take into consideration is how ‘green’ it is. No, not the vibrant green hue the tree physically gives off, but how environmentally friendly it happens to be.

Think about this; one family buys a real Christmas tree every year for five years, that’s five trees taken down from a forest. If everyone in Canada did this every Christmas for five years there would be approximately 170 million trees cut down for the holiday.

The environmental damages are overwhelming considering that the trees are placed in the home for about 30 days, they are then thrown out into the dump every year. That’s equal to 170 million trees laying in the ground instead of growing in it.

Plastic trees have their benefits but can still be damaging.

Using the same numbers, if every family bought one plastic tree and kept it for five years there would only be about 30 million trees being used in a household, which would save money.

But if after that five-year period, every family in Canada throws out their plastic tree, that’s 30 million trees laying in the dump, which can take over 15 years to decompose.

Each tree has its benefits and its negative effects, so take these points and think about them when purchasing your tree.