Learn how to recycle your Christmas tree and benefit the environment.
A beautiful Christmas tree lying on the side of the road, shedding its festive clothes, waiting for a
garbage truck to haul it to the nearest landfill seems like a rather sad end. It’s a sad ending that
awaits many Christmas trees at the end of the holiday season. However, your tree may have other
purposes. It is for a useful purpose that benefits nature.
Unlike artificial trees, natural Christmas trees remain a popular holiday choice, with proponents
claiming their natural look and smell are unmatched.
Now, you can’t just box up natural wood, dismantle it, and store it until next Christmas, but
thankfully, old trees can be recycled for a variety of uses. Many municipalities collect Christmas
trees and use them to improve soil, open roads and stabilize waterways, among other things.
Read on to learn how to bring your Christmas tree to life. Some you may already know and
incorporate into your holiday traditions, while others may be new to you.
Mulch
Cutting an old Christmas tree into mulch is probably the most popular way to repurpose it. Mulch
is great for use around shrubs and trees to retain soil moisture and regulate temperature. As the
mulch slowly decomposes, it releases nutrients into the soil. Besides helping shrubs and trees, mulch can also be used as a natural ground cover for garden paths. For months, it continued to give off a fresh pine scent as you walked over it.
Many municipalities remove Christmas trees or offer delivery points the week after Christmas. The trees pass through the chipper, leaving behind a beautiful wood cover used around parks and government buildings. Some cities offer free tree felling services, allowing tree pickers to take home mulch to use in their gardens.
Power plant fuel
In some areas, Christmas trees can be used as a fuel source when they are broken. These chips are
burned to help fuel power plants.
Alkaline soil fertilization
In your garden beds, knock as many needles off the tree as possible. Christmas tree needles are
acidic. When sprayed around plants, it breaks down and helps balance alkaline soil pH.
Erosion control
Sometimes leaving a Christmas tree in place helps the environment by helping to control erosion.
In coastal areas where beaches have been severely eroded by hurricanes, Christmas trees are used
to keep dunes from erosion, and in many cases, sand gradually covers them to help form new dunes. Whole Christmas trees are used in coastal areas to protect erosion-prone coastal wetlands and to help delay the flow of saltwater into coastal freshwater areas.
Aisle boundary
All you have to do is remove all the branches from the Christmas tree and use the trunk to mark
the path. Smaller branches can be added to the mulch pile. In addition, the mulch made of Christmas trees provides a nice surface for the passage itself.
Fish habitat
When fully submerged, the entire Christmas tree protects small fish and the places where fish
spawn. They can survive underwater for about 8 years. Some municipalities have created fish friendly habitats with Christmas trees, but you should get permission from your local municipality before pouring your tree into the nearest lake or creek. Too many waterlogged trees can cause
problems.
Mini Bird Reserve
Leave a tree in the backyard where birds and small mammals want to find asylum on branches.
Using pine trees with peanut butter, you can enjoy the interesting movements of the wild animals
and plants you visit.
Protective plant
You can remove the branches, but put the branches in the delicate perennial plants and shrubs to
keep your eyes not touching. When the eggplant breaks down, it increases the nutrition of the soil.
Fertilizer
Small Christmas tree branches are suitable for covers. Use a manual trimmer to cut 6 -inch parts
and put them in compost.
Tree plant marker
Remove small twigs, leaving a ½ -inch wide section suitable for the plant sign.
Save your tree from the tragic fate of being dumped in landfill this year, because even after
removing the trinkets and glitter, there are many other ways to provide benefits. Visit the National
Christmas Tree Association website to learn more about local recycling programs and other
Christmas tree recycling options.
Let us know: Do you recycle Christmas trees? Share your experience in the comments.
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