Paper or plastic? It's an environmental conundrum we ponder on every trip to the grocery store.

Less frequent but just as puzzling is the question that pops up at this time each year: real Christmas tree or fake?Fortunately, the answer is simple. Real trees are by far the better choice for the environment, especially in Carbon County, where tree farming is a sustainable and vital part of our local economy, producing more than 9,000 live trees for sale each year.The earth-friendly wisdom of choosing a real tree is rooted in basic biology. Through the magic of photosynthesis, real trees, like all green plants, capture and store carbon, and produce oxygen in return.In the U.S. alone, Christmas trees provide enough oxygen daily to meet the needs of some 9 million people.Done properly, tree farming stabilizes and enhances soil quality. Roots help prevent loss of soil through erosion, and trees supply organic matter to the upper layers of soil as they grow. Trees also hold and filter water, absorbing moisture through the roots and releasing clean water vapor into the air through a process called "transpiration" (similar somewhat to the "perspiration" we use to keep cool).Carbon County's tree farms, with all the environmental benefits they provide, are often established in areas less suitable for other types of agriculture. Highly detailed soil surveys, performed by the USDA in the 1950s, recommend Christmas tree farming as one of the smartest land use choices, particularly in areas such as the Mahoning Valley, where productive tree farms abound.Whether fresh cut, or balled and burlapped, each tree taken from the farm is soon replaced by one or more seedlings, and a new cycle of growth begins.On average, Christmas trees grow for about seven years before harvest, and in that time provide habitat for an abundance of wildlife.Wildlife such as deer, turkeys, owls and bats may prefer to split their time between the protective cover of an oak forest, and the open space of an adjacent tree farm. The fields are also important stopover points for migrating raptors, songbirds and insects.In summer, monarch butterflies depend on the milkweed plants common amid the trees, while hungry finches take advantage of weed and grass seeds between rows in fall. Later in the year, snow cover on a field of evergreens reveals the tracks left behind by those seeking shelter beneath the boughs: rabbits, foxes, grouse and small rodents are important components of a healthy ecosystem.After the holidays, the case for a real tree becomes even stronger. Trees, wreaths and boughs can be naturally recycled into mulch, and used to maintain garden pathways or conserve moisture amid planting beds. Evergreens can also simply be placed out in the backyard to provide cover for wildlife as they naturally decompose.By contrast, the average artificial tree is made of plastic (petroleum products) and is discarded in under 10 years' time, to live on indefinitely amid countless tons of other landfill waste. The majority of artificial trees are imported into the U.S. from China, where looser environmental regulations on their manufacture and transport lead to increased pollution, and a generally lower quality of life for the people who produce them.For nearly 30 years, Carbon County Environmental Education Center has encouraged residents to purchase real trees, offering a free recycling program to county residents and beyond. Thanks to these efforts, thousands of real trees have been recycled, ground into mulch for use on trails, or stacked outdoors to create and improve wildlife habitat.CCEEC continues to accept trees for recycling after this holiday season. Call 570-645-8597 for more information, or visit the center's website at

www.carboneec.org.For information on tree recycling in other areas, visit

www.earth911.org.