What to Do with your Christmas Tree

ZANESVILLE, OH – Christmas celebrations have come and gone for most of us but the lingering question remains, what do you do with your old Christmas tree?

If you have a reusable plastic tree then the answer is simple, take off the lights, ornaments and garland then place it back in its box for next year.

If you have a live Christmas tree then the possibilities are endless for ways to get the most use from something that otherwise would be thrown away.

Lori Ryan-Griffin, a District Conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said if you have the room to place the old tree outside, you can turn into a real life winter wonderland.

“What my family likes to do, is we’ll take it out and stand it up in the backyard somewhere,” Ryan-Griffin said. “The birds will love it, for extra winter habitat. We have a bird feeder out there and then when the hawks come flying through, looking for a free meal, those little birds dive into that tree and have protection. You can also take that tree and you can take the pine cone and smear it with peanut butter and then you can roll it in bird seeds.”

Ryan-Griffin said for the people looking to get their flower beds or gardens together earlier, you can take the trimmings from your Christmas tree and place them on top of your plants.

She said this will protect them from the elements and also keep them warm to help them grow.

Ryan-Griffin said for those who own a pond, you too can get some use out of your Christmas tree this coming spring.

“They will throw it in the edge of the pond and just kind of cable it there and it makes a great fish habitat,” Ryan-Griffin said. “In the spring, when the fish are spawning and have their little fingerlings and fry, the little fish can hide in and amongst the tree to get away from predators, have a better chance of survival.”

If you just want to be done with the holidays all together, the City of Zanesville is offering a Christmas Tree Recycling program for residents.

You can drop your tree off at two designated locations; Maple Hill Park or the Street Department, located at 1084 Central Ave.