TACOMA, Wash. — When it comes time to put up the family Christmas tree, many Americans skip the corner lot and head straight to the attic.

Many artificial tree buyers think they’re doing the right thing, environmentally speaking, by going fake. But plastic and metal parts take resources and energy to produce. And the cardboard box the tree comes in? That was made from a real tree.

A 2009 report by sustainable development consulting firm Ellipsos found an artificial tree would have to be reused for 20 years before it became the better environmental choice.

“There are still people who believe that Christmas trees are cut out in the forest lands,” said Brady Christmas tree grower Ed Hedlund. He’s spent decades fighting the perception that Christmas is a tree killer.

With a few controlled exceptions all Christmas trees come from farms. When a tree is cut, it’s quickly replaced with a seedling.