今年租一棵圣诞树怎么样?

今年租一棵圣诞树怎么样?

Would you rent a live Christmas tree instead of buying one that had already been chopped down?

你会去租一棵活的圣诞树，而不是买一棵已经被砍倒的圣诞树吗?

You can rent a Christmas tree, but the trick is that you have to keep it alive during the holiday season. (Photo: Chamille White/Shutterstock)

Cut trees are currently the most popular Christmas choice in the country. At least 33 million Christmas trees are grown, cut down and sold every year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Even though these trees are used for only one season, they are a much more environmentally friendly choice than artificial trees, many of which are made from non-recyclable materials and are usually imported from China, according to Earth 911.

在这个国家，砍树是目前最受欢迎的圣诞节选择。根据美国环境保护署的数据，每年至少有3300万棵圣诞树被种植、砍伐和出售。据“地球911”报道，尽管这些树只被使用一个季节，但它们比人造树更环保。人造树大多由不可回收材料制成，通常从中国进口。

But a rented tree could be an even greener alternative. How does it work? Local companies grow their trees in nurseries. The live trees are then placed in pots and delivered to customers, sometimes complete with decorations, for the holiday season. Customers care for the trees while they're at home, making sure the trees are watered and healthy. At the end of the season, the trees are returned and continue to grow for another year. After about seven years, when the trees are too large for rental, they are planted in the ground.

但租一棵树可能是一个更环保的选择。它是如何进行的?当地的公司在苗圃里种树。然后，这些活树被放在花盆里，送到顾客手中，有时还会加上装饰品，以备节日之用。顾客在家的时候会照顾这些树，确保这些树被浇过水，而且是健康的。在这个季节结束的时候，这些树会重新生长，并继续生长一年。大约七年后，当树木太大而租不来时，就把它们种在地里。

Under the rental scenario, trees need to be transported back and forth from their nurseries, so all of the companies currently offering tree rentals have fairly small service areas. California-based Rent a Living Christmas Tree deals with customers in the San Francisco South Bay, Santa Cruz, Monterey Peninsula and Salinas areas. One of the company's customers, Susan Draper of Carmel, recently praised the idea: "It's good for nature," she told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. "You don't cut down a tree that will die."

在租赁的情况下，树木需要从苗圃来回运输，所以目前所有提供树木租赁的公司都有相当小的服务区域。总部位于加州的Rent a Living圣诞树公司的客户来自旧金山南湾、圣克鲁斯、蒙特雷半岛和萨利纳斯地区。该公司的客户之一、来自卡梅尔的苏珊·德雷珀最近称赞了这个想法:“这对大自然有好处，”她告诉《圣克鲁兹哨兵报》。“你不会砍掉一棵会死的树。”

Tree rental from the company, which started in 2009, isn't always the cheapest alternative. A 7-foot Nordmann fir costs $175 from Rent a Living Tree, where the smallest trees start at $35 plus delivery.

从这家2009年成立的公司租树并不总是最便宜的选择。一棵7英尺高的诺德曼冷杉树的租金是175美元，而最小的树的起价是35美元，外加运费。

At Oregon's The Original Potted Christmas Tree Company, which operates in the Portland and Eugene area, trees are $95. They are picked up after the first of the year and planted in a watershed. The company points out that there are many advantages to the potted trees. For one thing, potted trees are harder for pets to knock over. Live trees are also less of a fire hazard than cut trees, which can dry out quickly. They also clean the air and emit oxygen while they're in your home.

在俄勒冈州波特兰和尤金地区经营的“原创盆栽圣诞树公司”，圣诞树售价95美元。它们在一年的第一天被采摘并种植在分水岭上。该公司指出盆栽树有很多优点。首先，盆栽树很难被宠物撞倒。活的树也比砍下来的树更少火灾危险，因为砍下来的树很快就会干枯。当它们在你家里的时候，它们也会清洁空气并释放氧气。

If you're still balking at the cost, some nonprofits are getting into the tree-rental act. Each year the Adopt a Stream Foundation in Everett, Washington, sells small potted trees. After the season is over, the trees can be returned to be planted along a local salmon stream to provide shade and prevent erosion.

如果你还在为成本发愁，一些非营利组织已经加入了树木租赁的行列。华盛顿埃弗雷特的“收养溪流基金会”每年都会出售盆栽小树。在季节结束后，这些树可以重新种植在当地的鲑鱼溪流旁，提供树荫，防止水土流失。

Tree rental isn't available everywhere, but who knows what the future holds?

并不是所有地方都能租到树，但谁知道未来会怎样呢?