How would this change Christmas festivities?
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00:00 (beeping)
00:02 (explosion)
00:04 It's the most wonderful time of the year.
00:10 Until you get the bill.
00:13 With skyrocketing prices
00:15 around this celebratory fir tree,
00:18 it makes you wonder.
00:21 What if everyone planted their own Christmas tree?
00:26 How long would it take to grow a tree?
00:30 What exactly is a root ball?
00:34 And would reusing an artificial tree
00:38 be better for the environment?
00:41 This is WHAT IF,
00:43 and here's what would happen
00:45 if everyone planted their own Christmas tree.
00:49 Desired for its unique colors and shape,
00:52 the Fraser fir is popular with people
00:55 who celebrate Christmas.
00:57 So if you grew your own Christmas tree,
01:01 are you canceling Christmas?
01:04 According to a 2018 Nielsen study,
01:09 95 million households in the United States
01:12 celebrated Christmas with a tree.
01:15 So growing your own tree
01:17 might elevate your family traditions.
01:20 And it doesn't really matter where you live.
01:23 In North America,
01:25 this evergreen fir grows in all 50 states
01:28 and throughout Canada.
01:30 So how would you get started?
01:33 Well, if you grow the seedling yourself,
01:37 it takes an average of seven years
01:40 for it to reach two meters.
01:42 But if you'd like to get started right away,
01:45 you could try replanting your Christmas tree.
01:49 You'll want to acclimatize the tree first.
01:52 Just leave it in a cool place,
01:54 like a garage, for a couple of days.
01:56 This lets it go dormant.
01:58 Heads up, though.
01:59 You might have some problems with this method.
02:02 Without a root ball,
02:04 the mass of main roots at the bottom of a plant,
02:07 it might be difficult to replant your tree.
02:11 So if you don't have a root ball,
02:14 take pencil-thick cuttings from a fresh young tree.
02:18 Remove the needles from the bottom stems
02:21 and plant the cutting deeply,
02:23 so these stubs are below ground.
02:26 Keep your fingers crossed
02:28 and hope that the stubs grow into a makeshift root system.
02:32 Your chances are better
02:34 if the Christmas tree has a root ball.
02:37 When planting your tree,
02:39 find a spot where you can dig a hole
02:41 at least twice the size of the root ball.
02:44 Give it a hole five times bigger if you can.
02:47 And try to dig in the middle of the day
02:50 so that the soil won't be frozen.
02:53 Place your tree in the hole
02:55 and put the soil you removed back in.
02:58 Then top it with several inches of mulch
03:01 and lots of water.
03:03 And remember to fertilize it in the spring.
03:06 You might need to do this process
03:08 a few times before it works.
03:10 So don't be discouraged
03:12 if your first tree doesn't make it past January.
03:15 And although the tradition might catch on,
03:18 how would it impact the Christmas tree industry?
03:21 Not every person will have a place
03:24 or the right climate
03:26 to grow and maintain a Christmas tree.
03:29 Maybe city planners could organize spaces
03:32 for people to plant their trees
03:34 in honor of this new tradition.
03:36 We might rethink how humans and agriculture
03:39 can live side by side in urban areas.
03:42 Right now, over 100,000 people
03:45 have full or part-time jobs
03:47 because of this seasonal crop.
03:50 But if we have trees that last for years
03:53 instead of a few weeks,
03:56 there would be less demand
03:58 for new trees each year.
04:00 And many tree farms would go out of business.
04:04 But let's face it.
04:06 Whether you're growing, replanting,
04:08 or recycling a tree,
04:10 you're taking on a lot of work.
04:12 So why not just buy an artificial tree?
04:16 Reusing an artificial tree
04:18 would reduce the environmental impact
04:21 of buying an artificial tree,
04:23 for a while.
04:25 But eventually,
04:27 even this thrifty alternative
04:29 made from PVC and steel
04:31 and shipped from China
04:33 will end up in a landfill.
04:35 And if more people plant their own trees,
04:38 it could eliminate the artificial tree industry.
04:41 You could be dreaming of a green Christmas.
04:45 Of course, the real future of the Christmas tree
04:48 lies in the hands of science.
04:50 The Fraser fir tree doesn't handle mold well,
04:54 and it's likely to get root rot.
04:57 Add to that,
04:59 there's the threat of an invasive wingless insect,
05:02 the balsam woolly adelgid,
05:05 which came to North America from Europe.
05:08 The rampant destruction these insects cause
05:11 put the Fraser fir on the IUCN Red List
05:15 of Threatened Species.
05:17 To adapt to this threat,
05:19 scientists are creating hybrid plants,
05:22 grafting the roots of mommy firs
05:24 to the branches of Fraser firs.
05:27 But this genetic engineering
05:30 isn't cheap or quick.
05:33 If you're looking to make a lower impact
05:35 on the environment this year,
05:37 look for a locally sourced real tree,
05:40 or reuse an artificial tree
05:43 for at least five years.
05:45 You'll reduce greenhouse gas emissions
05:48 by decreasing shipping distances.
05:51 And with more than 4,000
05:54 free local Christmas recycling programs
05:57 throughout the United States,
05:59 it's not hard to safely dispose of a tree.
06:03 Now that you're practicing conservation
06:06 on a small scale,
06:07 it's time to start thinking globally
06:09 about our most abundant resources.
06:12 Like, what if we powered the planet
06:16 with seawater?
06:18 Well, that's a story for another WHAT IF.
06:24 (dramatic music)
06:27 (dramatic music)