Recycle That Tree!

The ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Celts brought evergreens into their homes at the winter solstice as symbols of life’s enduring triumph over death. In the late Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians brought evergreen trees into their homes or set them outside their doors to represent the hope of new life in the coming spring.

Our modern Christmas tree has evolved from these earlier traditions to become a dominant symbol of our winter holiday season. It provides more than symbolism. The Christmas tree trade earns more than $6 million annually for New Hampshire growers.

Decorated and lighted, a Christmas tree engages not only our senses of sight, touch, and smell, but also our sense of tradition, hope, and goodwill. But once this festive season has passed, what will become of your Christmas tree? Consider one of these recycling options:

• Use your tree to create a natural bird feeder. Place the tree in a corner of your deck or in the yard and hang orange slices, balls of suet and seed from the boughs. Rolling pine cones in peanut butter, then in bird seed, can provide a wonderful activity for children and adults. Suspended on wires from the tree branches, the pine cones will provide food throughout the winter months for birds of all types. The dense boughs also create a protective covering that will reduce the wind chill on cold winter nights and provide an escape when nearby hawks or cats threaten.
  
  
• If your tree is adorned with UL-approved outdoor lights, leave them on the tree and place it in the yard for all to enjoy.
  
  
• Clip off the branches and use them to add extra insulation around plants that should remain dormant all winter, such as a semi-hardy perennial or any recently planted tree or shrub. Leave the boughs in place until spring arrives, then cut them into small pieces and add them to your compost pile.
  
  
• You could use the trunk as a garden stake next spring or cut it into lengths and let it dry for use as firewood. If you do decide to burn it, be aware that fir, spruce, pine, and other evergreen species burn hot and fast, and the resin will bubble and pop as the wood burns.
  
  
• Place the tree on its side in a woodsy area to serve as a hiding place for rabbits, moles, and other small animals. Place the tree where any wildlife encouraged to take up residence won’t become pests later.
  
  
  
• Feeding branches of your tree through a wood chipper will produce a nice, organic mulch to use around trees and shrubs or to mark trails and pathways. We commonly hear the question: “Isn’t pine mulch toxic to plants?” The answer: No, but you should prepare and use it carefully. Let fresh chips age for at least three months, and spread them around older, well-established trees and shrubs that won’t be sensitive to the nitrogen-depletion that can occur as the microorganisms that help decompose the chips temporarily tie up available soil nitrogen.
  
  
• Christmas trees can make effective sand and soil erosion barriers, especially on beaches and along riverbeds. Sunk into private ponds, evergreen trees can also provide substrate for water plants to grow on, and provide cover for minnows and other small aquatic creatures. Make to get permission from the pond owner to before you sink a tree. How do you sink a tree safely? When the ice has thawed, tie the trunk to a cinder block with a short, stout rope, and toss it in. You may want to mark the location with a bleach-bottle buoy attached to the tree with twine, so you will know where the fish are next summer.
  
  
• Strip the needles from the branches of the tree and use them to stuff a sachet to freshen your pillowcases, drawers, or bathroom.
  
  
• Make a Christmas-scented potpourri by mixing equal amounts of balsam or pine needles, bayberry leaves, and tiny pinecones with orrisroot, a fixative that absorbs the scent. The scent of the season will prevail for many weeks. As a rule of thumb, add two tablespoons of orrisroot to every five or six cups of dried materials. A few drops of pine-scented oil will give the potpourri an even more fragrant scent. You can find orrisroot and scented oils at herbal shops, craft stores, and many pharmacies.
  
  
• Many New Hampshire communities recycle Christmas trees. Check with local officials to see if your town does.

Whatever way you choose to recycle this year’s Christmas tree, you’ll cut waste, exercise your creativity, and establish a “re-gifting” tradition that brings closure to the winter holiday season.

By Rachel Maccini, Coordinator, Family, Home & Garden Education Center, UNH Cooperative Extension

For more information call the UNH Cooperative Extension's Family, Home & Garden Center's Info-line (toll free) at 1-877-398-4769 or send us an email. Volunteers are available to answer your questions Monday through Friday 9:00am to 2:00 p.m.