Subtitles section Play video Print subtitles Do you have a real or fake Christmas tree? Fake? Gross. Don’t you know that most fake trees are fabricated in China with a bunch of chemicals and that you probably hate Christmas. ...I have a fake tree too. I don’t feel good about it. It’s just so convenient. Guys, lets talk about the wonderful world of Christmas trees and how they affect the world around us. According to numbers compiled and crunched by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service and the NCTA – that’s the National Christmas Tree Association – not to be confused with the National Cat Tickling Alliance – the number of trees sacrificed in the name of festive merriment each year, in the US alone is around 25 to 33 million. Now, these numbers were procured from the thousands of Christmas tree retailers in the states, but the stats don’t account for the rugged traditionalists that trudge through mounds of bone-chilling snow in the wilderness, braving the elements to cut down their own dang tree cause that’s how their daddy did it. 84% of the 33 million trees are of the pre-cut types found on Christmas tree lots, or inside garden centers, or even over the internet because we live in some weird future society where you can do that apparently, while the remaining 16% fell victim to those who purchase their trees from choose and cut lots, which are tree farms where you choose your wooden prize and cut it down with your own two hands. Exciting. Now, 33 million sounds like an alarming number of trees whacked down in the name of presents, and it is a lot, but remember, they’re harvested from tree farms and the stock is constantly replenished, 1 to 3 saplings for every timber cried out into the cold winter night. In fact, according to the NCTA 350 million trees are thriving on tree farms from over 15,000 growers in America right now. Remember, we’re just talking the United States, if we add Europe to the arbor carnage, that’s an extra 50 to 60 million chopped for Christmas. Money-wise, each year, when it comes to x-mas trees, Americans, on average, drop somewhere around a billy. That’s a lazy way of saying a billion dollars. Now, it’s important to point out that there are a lot of pros and cons associated with Christmas Tree farming. Pro x-mas tree farm people point out that the farms create thriving habitats for wildlife, not just with a thick abundance of trees, but with private ponds and waterways as well. The trees also stabilize soil and pump out all sorts of oxygen into the air. And we like oxygen. Christmas tree opponents bah-humbug the situation and highlight the use of pesticides and fertilizers that ferry harmful chemicals into surrounding environments. That’s not good. It’s feliz navibad. There could also be a negative effect on the biodiversity of an area if all you got is just row after row of douglas fir, which happens to be one of the most popular types of trees harvested for the season, along with the fraser fir, balsam fir, Colorado Blue Spruce, Scottish Pine, Virginia Pine, and the Eastern Red Cedar, but in the end, choice really comes down to what region of the world you spend the holidays. So everyone, what type of tree do you sing carols around every year? Fake? Real? Spruce? Fir? Do you do that cool upside down tree thing that some people do? Enchant us with your Christmas traditions down below and don’t forget to subscribe.
B2 tree christmas christmas tree spruce harvested pine Christmas Trees: Real vs. Fake 132 13 Cheng-Hong Liu posted on 2014/12/26 More Share Save Report Video vocabulary