Buying a real Christmas tree for your home enhances the holiday experience. You get to select the tree that you want and can even opt to cut it down yourself! Once your tree is set up and decorated, your space begins to fill with the scent of fresh pine. But what happens to your tree once the holiday season is over?On average, 25 to 30 million real Christmas trees are sold a year. The common occurrence at the end of the season is to place it outside along the curb for garbage pickup. But what if there was a way to make Christmas trees purposeful even after the season has ended? Wachtel Tree Science has a few ideas for you.
When it’s time to get rid of your tree, repurpose it for:
- Mulch – Because pine needles are known to dry quick and decompose slow, they can be used as mulch for crops that cover the ground.
- Insulation – Cutting your branches into smaller pieces and laying them over beds filled with perennials can protect them from snow and reduce the amount of frost they endure.
- Flowerbed Edging – Because Christmas tree trunks are typically not very wide, cutting them into smaller circular pieces, finishing them with a stain and placing them as borders around a flowerbed can enhance the appearance of your gardens.
- Shelter – Do you have a pond on your property? Old Christmas trees that have not been chemically treated can be placed inside of ponds to act as shelter for fish.
- Drink Coasters – Cutting thick slabs off of the trunk and smoothing them by sanding makes for some simple homemade coasters.
- Wood Chips – Renting a chipper to chip your tree means you can use the wood chips come spring time. They can be used to suppress weeds under shrubs and supply nutrients to the soil as they decompose. If you know of neighbors who also have real trees, you can all pitch in to split the cost of a chipper rental.
- Fires – Your old tree can be used to get a nice bonfire started.
- Recycling – There are a few Christmas tree recycling charities and centers across the state of Wisconsin that will either pick up your tree or allow you to drop it off. Typically, the trees are chipped and used as mulch in the future.
Wachtel Tree Science would like to wish you a Happy Holiday! We’re excited for the New Year and cannot wait to provide you with exceptional tree care solutions in 2019.