Today's faux firs can be several stories tall. These big, artificial trees start with a steel skeleton. Rollers bend steel tubing into arcs. They'll be joined to form the base of the framework.

On the one hand, fake trees, which are often made from plastics, contain "toxic" materials that experts have warned are bad for the environment. But on the other, real trees need to be cut down ...

Real Christmas trees are also compostable. Artificial trees, however, can't be recycled and often end up in landfills. They require iron for their metal stems and petroleum for their plastic needles.