Farm & Home
Ag Line: Recycled Christmas Trees
By Wade Franklin County Extension Coordinator

I hope everyone had a very enjoyable Christmas and will have a happy New Year!

Long after the holiday celebrations are over, the many Christmas trees that were harvested in Georgia can be useful as wildlife and aquatic habitats, mulch, or firewood. I know I am guilty of this myself, but a couple of days after Christmas, we are ready to pitch the ol' Virginia pine. However, we must reconsider throwing away our old tree.

If you like birds or small animals, you can put your Christmas tree in your backyard so these creatures can use it for a shelter. You can add strings of popcorn, bird feed, and other treats that birds and small animals like.

We have many farm ponds in Jenkins County that could use a healthy tree. If you sink your tree in a pond, this makes an excellent refuge and feeding area from fish and other aquatic organisms. Small bream and bass will use this as a refuge area for predators.

You can save your Christmas tree and chip it in the spring to use for mulch around trees and shrubs. If you don't want to chip the tree, you can remove the branches and place them on planting beds. Mulches help keep the ground moist and reduce weeds such as Florida Betony!

Even though people don't burn fires in their homes like they used too, Christmas trees make excellent firewood. The branches of a Christmas tree are highly combustible and can act as a fire starting agent. Just make sure you take off any bows, wreaths, roping, or other kinds of decorations, which can produce harmful fumes if burned.

A final use of an old Christmas tree is to place it in an area that is being eroded by water. While this will not be the most attractive use, it will slow down rushing water in a spillway or drain.

As you can see, there are many uses of a Christmas tree after use. If you can think of anymore, call and let me know!

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