CHRISTMAS TREE CUTTING GOOD FOR MOTHER EARTH

CHRISTMAS TREE CUTTING GOOD FOR MOTHER EARTH

NEW BERRY, Maine (Wireless Flash) -- Environmentalists won't like this: cutting down Christmas trees isn't as harmful as you'd think. According to University of Michigan forestry professor Mel Koelling (KELL-ing), there's no harm in cutting down a tree for Christmas -- despite what you might have heard. Koelling claims 99 percent of Christmas trees these days are grown specifically for that purpose, so cutting them down doesn't add to the problem of deforestation. In fact, he claims the tradition is actually good for the environment because it encourages the planting of millions of air-filtering, oxygen-producing trees on land that is previously bare. Koelling also says artificial Christmas trees aren't as environmentally friendly as you'd think because the energy used to produce them pollutes the planet with toxic fumes and lead.