Top 10 Reasons to Buy a Maryland Christmas Tree

For the first time, the  placed and decorated a large Christmas tree in front of its building on Harry S. Truman Parkway.

Sure, it was festive and helped everyone who works inside or drives past get in the holiday spirit. But the  was intended to serve another purpose as well.

"We hope it will catch everyone's eye and get people interested in real trees and all the benefits they provide our environment and our communities," said Wilma Muir, owner of Deer Creek Valley Tree Farm where the tree was grown, in a release. "There are still people who think they are saving a tree by buying a fake Christmas tree and they have no idea how far from the truth that is."

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There are at least two Christmas tree lots here in the Crofton-Gambrills community. 

*Corner of Johns Hopkins and Maryland Rt. 3.

*In front of the .

Here's the Department of Agriculture's top 10 reasons to buy local:

10. While they're growing, real Christmas trees absorb carbon dioxide and other gases and emit fresh oxygen, unlike artificial trees, which are petroleum-based.

9. A real Christmas tree is biodegradable, which means it can be easily reused or recycled for mulch and other purposes, whereas an artificial tree is only used for six to nine years before it is thrown away, remaining in a landfill for many years.

8. Christmas trees can be recycled in a variety of ways, including local government programs to chip them into mulch that returns valuable nutrients to the soil.

7. The farms that grow Christmas trees stabilize soil, protect water supplies and provide wildlife habitat while creating scenic greenbelts.

6. When growing in open space, a 3-inch diameter Douglas fir can reduce atmospheric carbon by 23 pounds and intercept 102 gallons of stormwater runoff per year.

5. Christmas tree growers plant one to three new seedlings for every tree they harvest, rarely using fertilizer after planting.

4. When you buy directly from a farmer, that dollar will circulate through the local economy four times, strengthening our communities.

3. When farmers are profitable they are able to stay on the land, keeping it open and productive.

2. Evergreen trees look and smell wonderful and are part of a sentimental American tradition.

1. Visiting a tree farm is great holiday fun for the entire family.