What to Do With the Christmas Tree After Christmas

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After the holidays, many municipalities allow old Christmas trees

to be placed curbside. Trees are then collected and ground up for mulch

or burned. If you miss the designated date, or your trash collector

doesn’t accept trees, there are several options to prolong the useful

life of the tree.

An old Christmas tree can be used to benefit birds, fish, and the

landscape by placing it in a corner of your deck, and spreading some

birdseed nearby, or tying it to a deciduous tree or post near a bird

feeder. The birds benefit from having escape cover nearby when hawks or

cats threaten, and the dense boughs reduce the wind chill on a cold night.

Sinking your Christmas tree in a pond is an easy way to improve

fish habitat and fishing. The tree serves as little coral reef, in that

the branches provide substrate for water plants to grow, and cover for

minnows and other forms of small aquatic life. Larger fish are drawn by

the shade and the presence of prey.

How do you sink a tree? Tie the base to a cinder block with a

short, stout rope, and toss it in. Just be sure to get permission from

the pond owner first! Using the little tree around the landscape

requires clipping off all of the branches. Use the boughs to add extra

insulation around semi-hardy perennials or to trees and shrubs that were

recently planted. The leftover trunk may be used as a garden stake next

spring.

Or cut and let it dry for a few weeks, and you will have some easy

lighting firewood. Just beware that most conifer species tend to spark

and pop more than hardwoods, as resin pockets in the wood make tiny

explosions. This can delight the youngsters, but for safety’s sake, keep

an eye on the fire when burning Christmas tree logs!

by Charlie Barden

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