Christmas Trees; Real vs. Artificial

Below is a comparison to Real Christmas Trees vs Artificial Trees.  Now what do you think!  Info from National Christmas Tree Association.

Real Tree	Artificial Tree
PLACE OF ORIGIN
United States and Canada          Ours are from the US	85% from China
METHOD OF PRODUCTION
Farming        Planting takes place in Jan-May        Estimated 40-45 million trees planted in 2008 in North America        Estimated 446 million trees growing on farms in U.S.        Tree Farms support complex eco-systems.	Factory        Raw Materials sent to factory & assembled into final product        Product is shipped to U.S. then distributed to stores        Number of factories unknown        Factories only consume natural rescources
COMPONENTS
Plant Tissue        100% Biodegradable	Plastics and Metals        Non-Biodegradable
PVC FREE?
Yes	NO
LEAD FREE?
Yes	No (Lead is used in the process of making PVC plastic)
CARBON NEUTRAL?
Yes        Trees absorb carbon dioxide        When decomposing, carbon, nitrogen, and other elements are released into soil	NO        Plastic is a petroleum byproduct
CHEMICALS?
No        Scientists have measured cut Christmas trees for chemical residue and not found any significant amounts        Many different bugs, fungi, and parasites can attack and kill trees, so farmers may use pesticides to keep consumers' trees healthy and alive until harvest        Herbicides are used to suppress, not kill off, weeks to prevent soil erosion        If someone tells you "there are chemicals on cut Christmas Trees" they are wrong	Yes        PVC itself is a dangerous chemical        Manufacture of PVC creates and disperses dioxins, the most toxic man-made chemical known        Released into air or water, dioxins enter the food chain, where they accumulate in fatty tissues of animals and humans, a potential risk for causing cancer, damaging immune functions and impairing children's development
DISPOSAL
Recycled        Used trees can be recycled in a variety of ways        Decomposing trees add nutrients back into the earth	Landfill        Fake trees can't be recycled and end up in landfills        All of the accumulated fake trees are a burden to the environment indefinitely
RENEWABLE RESOURCE?
Yes        New trees are planted every year	No        Petroleum, used to make plastic, is a non-renewable resource, as are metals
ECO-FRIENDLY?
Yes	No