Soon after Christmas, this quintessential ornament likely will have lost its evergreen glamour, aromatic essence and usefulness as a flashy cargo hold for presents.
Some cities offer tree pickup and recycling opportunities, but for the deep thinker, pragmatist, or handy-crafter, options abound for re-assigning Christmas tree 2008 to some new tasks in 2009, said Jon Gersbach, county agent for ag and natural resources with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Milam County.
For those who are in a post-Christmas quandary on what to do with a 7-foot tall, dried out, crackly evergreen, Gersbach offers some environment enhancing, practical ideas:
n Christmas compost: If you want the tree to help grow other green things, have it shredded into mulch or place the ground up wood in a compost bin.
nCatfish condo: If you never want to see it again, but want to put it to good use, you can sink the whole Christmas tree, needles and all to the bottom of a stock pond to establish a fish habitat. Fish are waiting for the opportunity to move in.
n Bottle beauty: If you fear trauma in parting with the Christmas tree, keep it in the yard. Trim branches but leave limbs long enough to securely hold a bottle neck; mount the trunk in cement, and decorate branches with colored flasks to make a bottle tree, all the rage in the realm of yard art.
n Christmas cane: If you are seriously, emotionally attached to the Christmas tree, you can take it on walks for years to come. Cut it to an appropriate size, trim off limbs and varnish it to make a handy walking stick for yourself, or a cane for someone you love who needs a little help getting around.
n Animal apartment: If you don’t want it in your life on a daily basis, place the tree in a wildlife area to provide shelter for birds and small animals.
n Birdie bistro: If you want to watch it and birds at the same time, mount the trunk in the yard and hook on bird feeders.
n Tree trellis: If you want an out-of-work Christmas tree to earn its living, simply place it in the vegetable garden to stake pole beans and vines.
n Bed border: If you need a free and unusual flower bed border, trim off limbs and lay the trunk along the front of the plot.
n Erosion eradicator: If you need an ally in the battle against erosion, a Christmas tree placed along shorelines and beaches can help fend off the tides.
n Feliz Navidad fencing: Christmas tree trunks can be used as ornamental fence posts. Collect as many Christmas trees as you can, trim off limbs, cut to a uniformed height and set in a row.
