Gardens
5 Ways to Recycle Christmas Trees
Here are 5 ways to recycle Christmas trees that will keep the year’s holiday memories alive well into the new year and beyond!
By Shelley Wigglesworth|Jan 06 2022|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine Keenan
Photo Credit : Aimee Tucker
5 Ways to Recycle Christmas Trees
Dry the Needles for Sachets and Natural Air Fresheners
By the time you take your tree down it is usually dropping many of the needles. Sweep these up or gather the dropped needles from the tree skirt and place them in a breathable container such as a coffee tin with holes poked into the top of the plastic lid. If you are using a tree bag to dispose of your tree, once the bagged tree is outside shake vigorously or use your hands on the outside of the bag to crush the branches to loosen the needles. Remove the tree and gather the needles from the bag. Allow these to dry in a breathable container or basket before stuffing into small fabric bags for sachets.Make a Temporary Bird and Squirrel Feeder
Place the tree or a portion of the tree in the snow or leave it in the tree stand and position it near a window where you can easily watch the birds and squirrels play. Hang handmade pine cone bird feeders, left over strings of popcorn and cranberries or slices of fresh fruit from the limbs. Pine cones bird feeders are fun and easy to make. Simply coat a pine cone with peanut butter or solid vegetable shortening and roll in birdseed and hang on the tree with string. Before you know it birds, squirrels, and other wildlife will gather to feed right in plain view. *Be sure to remove all ornaments and tinsel from the tree before bringing it outside. [text_ad]Use your Christmas Tree for Mulch
Once the tree is outside, cut it into smaller pieces with a saw. Place the smaller pieces into a wood chipper to cut it into mulched-sized chips to save for spring gardening.Cut the Trunk to Make into Christmas Ornaments
Cut the trunk of the tree with a saw into slices approximately 1- 2 inches thick. Paint a Christmas scene or decoupage a picture on to both sides of the circle. Add glitter if desired. Allow to dry before drilling a small hole at the top of each slice and string with festive ribbon.Cut the Trunk for Firewood
Cut the branches away with a saw and split the trunk into fireplace-sized logs. Bundle the branches into small bunches and tie with string. Stack the wood and branch bundles and allow it all to season for firewood the following year. This post was first published in 2013 and has been updated.SEE MORE:
Check Yankee‘s Wood Heating Chart to find out which types of wood burn the best.
With all due respect, one should not encourage the burning of pine in fireplaces and wood stoves. Not only is it a poor heating fuel, it is not good for your chimney. Item #5 would be just fine if you suggested it for an outdoor fire pit.
We keep ours in the backyard until the Summer Solstice then we toss the whole tree on the bonfire. It puts on an amazing show. It’s become a fun tradition friends and family love.
Great idea!
Fish habitat!
http://blog.takemefishing.org/oh-christmas-reef/
Cool
I second Paul’s statement! My husband is a stone mason who builds and cares for chimneys among other things. Pine can cause a buildup in the chimney that can lead to a chimney fire. We reserve pine for outdoor bonfires and such.
If you live in a beach community with beach/dune erosion see if your town reuses trees to help prevent beach loss.
Another way to recycle Christmas trees is to use them as a layer of winter protection for roses and other plants. We gather trees from neighbors, cut the branches off and lay them over our hilled up roses. The branches make a lovely addition to our winter rose garden.
Another bird feeder: Cut trunk into 8″-12″ sections. Leave several branches per section, trimmed into 4″ – 5″ lengths. Drill 2″ wide, 1″ deep holes above each branch. Screw a sturdy hanger into top. Fill each hole with peanut butter. Hang from trees or bird feeders.
I agree with posts saying not to burn Christmas tree branches or trunks. They are loaded with a highly flammable sap resulting a huge roaring fire and an after effect is depositing the sap inside chimneys.
Find someone who has goats. They LOVE Christmas trees. Before donating make sure there is no tinsel or ornaments left on the tree.
Article in the Boston Globe about goats and their love of Christmas trees. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/12/29/metro/theyre-like-piranhas-these-goats-will-eat-your-christmas-tree-when-youre-done-with-it/?et_rid=1745529620&s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter
As a Boy Scout on the Cape, we used to collect the trees and plant them in dunes at various beaches for erosion control.
I also remember planting Christmas trees in the Cape dunes with the scouts. That was back in the mid 1960s.
Where’s the “like” button?
To where in southern NH can we donate trees/Christmas wreaths to goats? At one time there was a farm in Townsend/Pepperell MA. that accepted trees etc. for their goats.
Goats love the pine trees too.
My grandfather would cut off the branches and use the trunks as beanpoles in his garden