Vanessa Martin with the Nature Conservancy in Sacramento says it's a common myth that cutting down a tree to decorate your home for Christmas is environmentally incorrect.

"But if you choose a real tree over an artificial one, you can count yourself among the greener holiday makers."

Martin says keeping local Christmas tree farms in business means those farms will continue to replant trees…and the land won't be used to build homes or shopping malls.

"This time-honored tradition keeps 12,000 tree farms across the United States in business and those lands covered in forest."

But the artificial Christmas tree industry disputes those claims. The American Christmas Tree Association says a consumer who uses the same artificial tree year-after-year has a smaller carbon footprint…since they're not making the drive out to a Christmas tree farm every December.