BURLINGTON – If the holiday includes a live, cut Christmas tree, many may wonder what to do with it after the festivities are over. Many towns, civic clubs and solid waste districts across Vermont now have disposal programs in place. Most offer curbside pick-up of spent trees so long as all decorations, including tinsel, have been removed.
If not ready to give up the tree or are looking for other ways to use it, there are several options to consider.
Create a respite for birds. Move the tree outdoors and decorate with edible ornaments that birds and other wildlife can enjoy. You can hang suet in the tree, out of reach of dogs, and make homemade decorations of peanut butter-covered pinecones. An outdoor tree feeder can be enjoyable for birds and birdwatchers alike.
Remove branches and use them to cover tender perennials. Branches can help protect overwintering plants from snow and ice, providing them with a bit of cover and helping to maintain consistent winter temperatures.
Rent a chipper or with neighbors. Chipped mulch is a valuable carbon source for a compost pile. Remember that composting works best when used about a three-to-one ratio recipe with three parts browns (carbon sources like chipped mulch) to one part greens (like food scraps). Balancing the compost pile with enough carbon will also help keep down odors that may attract unwanted wildlife.
Use as fill for new raised beds. Referred to as hügelkultur, this method has been used in Europe for centuries and is an old-fashioned take on the popular lasagna-style gardening practice. Here, logs form the base of the bed, and then branches, twigs, and leaves are layered on top. These are topped with compost and/or garden soils. The logs and other debris decompose over time, replicating a forest ecosystem, providing rich garden soils for a bed. It can take a full year before the bed is ready to plant using this method, but it is an affordable and ecological option to consider.
Speaking of the environment, if there is space and interest, simply letting the tree decompose naturally can provide habitats for all types of creatures, from mammals like rabbits to bees and other beneficial insects, while returning the tree’s nutrients back to the soil.
Whichever choice, a Christmas tree can be a gift that keeps on giving back to nature and gardens long after the holidays are over.
Debra Heleba is the UVM Extension Community Horticulture Program director.
