Wintertime Christmas Tree Recycling
by Traute Klein, biogardener
Christmas trees can become useful for the rest of the winter, in fact, for the next summer as well. In the winter, they can be chipped or used to line skating trails on the river.
Real Christmas Tree?
Is your family bringing a real tree in the house at Christmas? If you do, what are you going to do with it after Christmas? I hope that you and your parents will think about how your tree can become useful for the rest of the winter and maybe even into next summer. Here are some ideas which we use in Winnipeg, and you are welcome to try them as well.
Christmas Tree Chips
In Winnipeg, we can take the tree to a place where it gets chipped. We can either take the chips home or leave them to be used by other gardeners. What is left over gets taken to city parks and is spread around trees as mulch. I use chips instead of gravel on our parking lot in the backyard. That is where I park my truck.
Skating Trail
We also have a skating trail on the frozen Red River which gets lined with donated used Christmas trees every January. The trees are anchored with the snow which is cleared off the river trail, and in Winnipeg, we get lots of snow. How about you?
Fish Breeding
Right within city limits, we have a wetlands area called Fort White Centre. The old Christmas trees are thrown on the frozen ponds in the winter, and in the spring, they fall into the water. The fish living in the ponds lay their eggs in the shelter of the old trees and their babies hide there after hatching. I really like this use of the trees, because I love fishes.
Christmas Tree Poll
Summertime Christmas Tree Recycling
