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RALEIGH – People in North Carolina are rallying against artificial Christmas trees, saying they not only hurt the state’s economy but are bad for the environment.

"Artificial trees are the biggest enemy of Christmas tree farmers in North Carolina,” said Steve Troxler, the state’s commissioner of agriculture.

Troxler says not only do artificial Christmas tree purchases slice into the budgets of almost 1,500 farmers tending some 30,000 acres of Christmas tree farms around the state, but the polyvinyl chloride version of the holiday tradition is bad for the planet.

"In the beginning it takes energy to manufacture that tree from somewhere," said Troxler. "And then when you discard of it it's going to go to a landfill or some end like that."

The landfill is where an artificial Christmas tree will stay. PVC is not biodegradable or recyclable. However, artificial trees can be donated to nonprofits, community centers or churches.