Welcome to The Backyard Naturalists, the show about anything and everything connected with nature.

In this festive episode of The Backyard Naturalists podcast, hosts Laurie and Debbie explore the lively debate between real and artificial Christmas trees. With environmental impact, sustainability, and holiday traditions on the table, they discuss the pros and cons of each option.

The hosts dive into the origins and ecological footprint of artificial trees, highlighting that while they're made from plastic and steel and mostly produced overseas, using them for five or more years can help reduce their environmental impact. On the other hand, real Christmas trees, grown sustainably across the U.S., offer benefits like absorbing carbon dioxide, stabilizing soil, and supporting wildlife habitats.

Tune in to learn which tree type might be the greener choice for your family—and stay tuned for a future episode on what to do with your Christmas tree once the holidays are over!

If you have ideas for topics that you'd like us to pursue, send us a message either on our Facebook page or our website. We would really like to hear from you.

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Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists. We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don't forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].