Christmas season is here and it's time for the year's biggest paper vs. plastic decision. Will this year's tree be real or fake? While there are many factors to consider (aromatics, falling needles, water requirements), the choice is clear from an environmental perspective. Go Real.

Fake Christmas trees are usually made of PVC, a plastic that is difficult to recycle and contains hazardous chemicals. Last year, over 9 million plastic Christmas trees were imported from China. So despite being reusable, the production and transportation of fake trees is still energy intensive.

While it may seem environmentally insensitive to chop down a tree and decorate it, real trees are actually eco-friendly. Tree farms, which provide 98% of real Christmas trees, fight global warming by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen.

"Trees have a metabolism like people," says Dawn Peterson of Oney's Christmas Tree Farm in Woodstock, IL. "The younger ones are more efficient. So by cutting down and selling the older trees and continuously planting, the younger trees do a better job at producing oxygen and detoxifying the air."

For every tree cut down, Oney's Farm plants 7 to 10 in its place. A truly renewable resource, real trees are also recyclable. Each January, the city of Chicago collects trees at Park District parks and turns them into mulch.

For more information on Oney's Christmas Tree Farm visit their website. For information on recylcing trees in your neighborhood, visit Earth 911.