Ways to repurpose a
Christmas tree
by Christine Yesko
Christmas trees can go to good use after the holidays. Here are some tips for repurposing a tree.
Be sure to remove all decorations, including tinsel, first. You can then re-decorate the tree with treats for wild birds. Leave the tree in its stand or stand it in a large planter with rocks or stand to steady it. Put it on a deck, porch, or patio and decorate it with orange halves, pine cones covered with peanut butter, suet cakes, and small bird feeders. If your yard borders woods or another type of wild area lay a de-decorated tree near or in it. Birds, chipmunks, mice, and other small animals can use it for cover from predators and harsh weather.
You can also compost it. Be sure to shred it into wood chips before you add it to the pile. It is not true that conifer needles or other parts will acidify your compost. Cut branches and loosely place them over “evergreen” perennials in your garden that tend to get ratty over the winter, such as coral bells, or pipsqueak, Remove in earliest spring.
You can also try cutting a branch or two and hang them above a bird feeder, creating a protective roof for the birds as they feed.
I hope this helps and it will even help keep recyclable things out of our landfills. Have a happy new year.
