Not Just a Pretty Tree: 5 Ways to Re-use Your Christmas Tree Post-Holiday – Gardenista

These days we are all trying to do our best for the planet. We’re trying to make better decisions and cut back on wasting resources. Sometimes that’s really hard when it comes to long-standing traditions, though. A Christmas tree—whether fresh cut or artificial—is a beloved must for some, but even if you choose to go with a real tree (always better, in our book, than a fake tree that will end up in the landfill at the end of its life), there is an environmental impact.

To lessen that impact, make sure to participate in your town’s tree recycling program after the holidays if it has one. (Municipalities will often pick up trees and turn them into mulch.) Or, upcycle your fresh-cut tree at home. Below, five ways you can reuse your Christmas evergreen. Admittedly, these are small gestures, but shifting your thinking on how single-use objects can be repurposed for more than the original use can have a ripple effect.

1. Provide shelter for birds.

Give the winter birds a place to shelter from the cold and hide from predators in winter. After you remove all the decorations from the tree, bring it outside and prop it up in a corner of your yard, preferably near the bird feeder. This provides cover from predators, especially if your yard has no evergreens, and provides shelter during winter storms.

2. Deck the garden.

Return the tree to the earth, part one: Snip off the boughs and place them, upside down, over your beds. Placing them upside down forms a protective layer over plants that lets air and water circulate. In the spring, the branches give space for tender plants to grow but keeps them sheltered from late frosts and heavy snows.

3. Improve the soil.