Say goodbye to your Christmas tree, the ‘green’ way

METRO DETROIT — One of the saddest parts of the holiday season is getting rid of a Christmas tree.

While there’s not much to ease that feeling, unless you get a fake tree and leave it up year-round, there are ways to give your old tree a new purpose. With these options, you’ll need to make sure the tree is pesticide-free by checking with the seller. Be sure there are no lingering ornaments or tinsel as well.

Old trees can be used to improve your garden when cut into small pieces and used as a mulch, according to a press release from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The trees can return nutrients to the soil. Before doing this, check to see if the tree will throw off the balance of your soil. Reusing a tree in this way will depend on what you’re trying to grow.

Tree needles can also be used as an organic weed barrier in a garden bed, said Caitlin Splawski, a consumer horticulture educator for the Michigan State University Extension. Though pine needles, which are longer than typical Christmas trees, make for a more effective barrier.

“If they’ve got acid loving plants, things like blueberries, rhododendrons, azaleas, things like that, they could add a little bit of acidity through soil,” Splawski said. “Typically, with how alkaline our soils are in Michigan, it’s not going to put a dent in changing your soil Ph. But it can help keep it a little more on the acidic side.”

Ultimately, Splawski said keeping light away from a garden bed is the most important thing when creating a weed barrier. She said keeping it 1/2-inch to 1-inch thick will help deter weed growth.

She added that websites like earth911.com and mcta.org can be good resources for recycling options.

The DNR release states that the trees can also be useful for farmers. Chickens can use them to roost, and goats can chew on them. They can function as a food source or a nesting place for wildlife in your yard.

If all else fails, contact your municipality’s sanitation department for ways to recycle your tree. Some places have sites where trees can be dropped off and turned into mulch.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has a directory of locations you can drop your tree off to be recycled. Type in “christmas tree” in the search at recyclesearch.com/profile/michigan-directory for locations near you.

 

One place trees shouldn’t go
The DNR press release states old Christmas trees should not be used for fish habitats. This is because typical trees like balsam fir, Douglas fir, and Fraser fir are all softwoods.

“These softwoods break down relatively quickly in aquatic environments,” the release states. “The dense branches on Christmas trees that are perfect for holding ornaments are often too dense for many fish to use as habitat.”

Lingering ornaments and pesticides on the trees could also pose a problem when attempting to reuse them as a habitat.

For state-approved ways to create an aquatic habitat, EGLE at (800) 662-9278 or go to michigan.gov/egle. To navigate to information about approved structures, type in “shoreline woody structure” in the EGLE website’s search and select the “Inland-Lakes-Fact-Sheet-WoodyStructure” result.