How to Repurpose a Dead Tree
It was the year of many “firsts”, as it seems that the isolating pandemic is prompting us to try new things, to find small glimpses of joy wherever we can. (Remember all the bread we baked in March?) For many families, being stuck at home for the holidays was the perfect excuse to finally buy a real tree to decorate. But now that the year is happily drawing to a close, you may wonder what to do with an evergreen that becomes evergreen.
Of course, you can just dispose of this according to your city’s rules for collection or recycling . But old, withered Christmas trees actually have more uses than you might imagine.
Mulch it
The most common tip you will find for repurposing a Christmas tree is to turn it into mulch. All parts and parts of the tree are good for the garden, as Jonathon Engels writes for One Green Planet :
Pine needles are an excellent garden mulch, so they can be collected and scattered. The limbs and trunks can be cut open and thrown onto rougher areas of the garden to rot next year, which means they naturally feed the soil rather than contaminating landfills. If neighbors are interested in sharing the costs, a rented shredder can make a lot of mulch from trees in the area, or there are often bike rides near recycling centers.
Engels also suggests cutting the trunk into discs to create a natural garden border, or pruning and positioning branches to protect your perennials from frost and snow.
“Plant” it
If you have not bought a tree with a whole root ball, you cannot replant it again . I mean, you can , but he’ll still be dead. However, you can mount it outside on a stand to make it work like a bird sanctuary. Hang bird feeders from branches or cover them with pine cones covered in peanut butter to give your neighbour’s birds a new favorite resting place.
According to Amy Johnson of Lifehack.org, you can also give some branches to your family’s fish:
In the wild, many branches fall into ponds and lakes, providing protection to fish in the water. You can put smaller branches in the tank to give the fish a place to hide and relax. Make sure the branches are completely clean before placing them in the tank.
Burn it up (outside)
Experts agree that burning an old tree indoors in a fireplace or stove is a very bad idea. This can create a dangerous build-up of creosote, causing the fire to become very hot and create dangerous sparks. However, Engels writes for One Green Planet that you can use wood as kindling for an outdoor fire:
For those with an outdoor fire pit, old Christmas trees grow quickly, so over time they can be used to kindle or quickly light a fire. In any case, they are quite easy to chop up and put on firewood.
Just remember that Christmas trees are fast burning . There is a reason they become so fire hazardous in your home when they dry out, so be careful.