Useful Ideas for Left Over Christmas Trees

Following the holiday season, many families look for creative ways to dispose of, or recycle, the family Christmas tree. From homes with fireplaces to homes without, recycling the Christmas tree for use in a home landscape has become quite common. When considering a method for disposing of a Christmas tree, consider these options.

Mulch:
Using a home mulching machine, pine needles from the family Christmas tree can provide a creative alternative to standard store bought mulch. For home gardening, mulching the Christmas tree pine needles will provide a pleasant look and smell to the outdoor garden especially those home gardens and landscapes which are along the edge of a home.

In addition to your own personal landscape, also consider donating Christmas tree needle mulch to your local parks and recreations facility for use in public parks.

Firewood:
For a home with a fireplace, the tree trunk can be dried out, in the outdoors, and then cut for use as firewood. Offering a pleasant burning scent, the Christmas tree will provide for firewood burning for several days. The key, however, to using the Christmas tree trunk as firewood is to ensure the trunk is adequately dried out prior to cutting and burning. Proper drying will also provide for a beautiful display of colors and scents from within the fireplace

Kindling:
As a further enhancement to home fireplace burning, tree branches can also be dried and used as kindling to improve the longevity of the Christmas tree trunk fireplace burning. Again, the key to use of Christmas tree branches, as kindling, involves the drying process prior to use.

Recycling:
For homes not equipped with a fireplace, consider recycling the tree in an effort to provide other families with the pleasant Christmas tree burning experience. Recycling of the Christmas tree can take place through local Christmas tree recycling programs. During recycling, in areas close to lakes, Christmas trees are often disposed through a process of sinking the tree into the lake to provide a fish habitat.

As an alternative to fish habitat, the family Christmas tree can also be placed in a backyard providing shelter for insects and birds during the colder months of the New Year.

Whatever the decision for disposal of the family Christmas tree, consider first the option for home use and, when not fully disposed of, consider contacting a local Christmas tree recycling program. With most living Christmas trees surviving only a few weeks, disposing of the tree, through a recycle program, will provide the best alternative to other trashing options.