HS Environment | What kind of Christmas tree is the most ecological? The expert answers whether the pot should have a bad conscience because of the fir tree

Christmas tree is a traditional purchase in many families. A decorated and lit Christmas tree crowns the festive atmosphere.

Finnish Environmental Center’s development manager Ari Nissinen tells you which type of spruce is the best choice for the environment.

The measure of ecology here is the carbon footprint, which indicates how much each Christmas tree burdens the climate. The meter tells how much greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are generated during the product’s life cycle, from raw materials to waste treatment.

The size of the carbon footprint is reported as mass, i.e. in grams, kilograms or tons. Gases are also measured with the same units.’

How big is the carbon footprint of cultivated spruce and forest spruce?

“Domestic the carbon footprint of cultivated spruce is estimated to be around 1.5 kilos. All factors from fertilizer to plastic netting and transportation have been taken into account in the calculation. Of course, Christmas tree plantations require care: firs must be planted, and fertilized, and pests and weeds must be controlled.

Cultivation itself consumes little energy. Most of the carbon footprint of cultivated spruce comes from the fact that the spruce is transported from the forest by truck and picked up from the store yard by car.

In the calculation, it is estimated that the buyer of the Christmas tree drives a total distance of about five kilometers. About half of the spruce’s carbon footprint is generated from this drive.

The carbon footprint of a Christmas tree picked from the forest is estimated to be a little over a kilo. The carbon footprint is mainly created by taking six home by car.

Christmas trees are brought to Finland from, for example, Denmark, Sweden and Poland. Shipping cargo emissions are usually small.”

Does the plastic fir put a heavy burden on the climate?

“The carbon footprint of plastic fir is estimated to be around 15 kilos.

More than half of the emissions from the plastic fir tree come from the production of raw materials and the product, because the plastic fir tree contains, for example, metal and plastic. A lot of fossil fuels are used in manufacturing.

A third of the emissions are generated when six people sail to Finland on a ship from, for example, China.

Plastic spruce should be used for more than ten years, so that it becomes a more ecological alternative to cultivated or forest spruce.

How can purchasing a Christmas tree be made more ecological?

Motoring clearly increases the carbon footprint. A car’s emissions can be in the order of 200 grams per kilometer, if you include the manufacture of the car and fuels.

So even a fir tree grown in the forest has a carbon load if the wood is picked up from tens of kilometers away. The closer you get to the spruce, the more environmentally friendly the purchase becomes. The most ecological way is to bring spruce on a stick, stroller, bike or carry.

If you have to use a car, then you should combine the spruce-picking trip with a visit to the store, i.e. do the grocery shopping at the same time.

Cultured and it is good to recycle forest fir after Christmas.

In many cities, spruce can be left near the waste shed, where it is collected and chipped or burned for energy.

The Helsinki region’s environmental services urges you to sort artificial spruce among mixed waste. Easily removable metal parts can be placed in a metal collection container.

Growing Christmas trees could be made even more environmentally friendly than it is. Recently, the idea of ​​growing Christmas trees under power lines has been brought up.

My colleague, the team leader Sampo Soimakallio Sykesta likes the idea. Under the power lines, the trees cannot be allowed to grow too large, so the place could be suitable for producing Christmas trees that can be harvested when they are young.

According to Soimakallio, carbon sink losses can occur in other forest lands when trees cut down as Christmas trees do not get to grow to full size.”

Does the potty need a bad conscience because of the Christmas tree?

“I don’t think so. On average, a Finn produces about 30 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions per day. Even a plastic Christmas tree’s emissions per Christmas will be less than two kilograms if it is used for ten Christmases.

For example, Christmas presents clearly generate bigger emissions than Christmas, especially if you buy electronics. The carbon footprint of a mobile phone is around 50-100 kilos and that of a laptop is around 300-500 kilos.

Textiles cause a variety of environmental harm during their life cycle, and toys are often made of plastic and in large plastic packaging.

The most important thing would be to buy only genuinely necessary goods and services or something that brings a particularly good mood.

In terms of the environment, much more significant than Christmas is also the fact that he prefers vegetarian food. If you eat meat, you should enjoy it in moderation. In general, it’s good to buy only as much food as you need, so that you don’t have to throw leftovers in the garbage even at Christmas.”

Published in Tiede Luonto magazine 8/2022.