Environmental Benefits

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Save the earth. Choose a Real Christmas tree.

What stabilizes the earth’s soil, protects our water supply, and acts as a natural animal habitat? A real Christmas tree, of course! Christmas trees can grow in and stabilize soil that would not normally support other crops. Chipped or mulched Christmas trees can be burned for fuel and used as a renewable source of energy. The mulch helps to stabilize soil, prevents erosion, and, as it breaks down, literally helps to produce new earth!

Did you know that real Christmas trees can be recycled? The obvious way is through mulch, but also they can be used as a shelter for songbirds, bunnies, foxes, and fish.

Real Christmas trees help clean the air! Studies have shown that one acre of 8- to 12-year-old Christmas trees produces a half ton of new biomass each and every year. Younger trees will produce even more. This removes more than 500 pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere and refreshes the air with 1,000 pounds of life-giving oxygen. Real Christmas trees also help to remove dust and pollen from the air. So help feed the trees … EXHALE!

Because younger trees produce more oxygen than older ones, the cutting of older trees is encouraged. For every one Christmas tree harvested, two to three seedlings are planted in its place. So the myth that cutting down Christmas trees is destroying the earth is debunked.

Real Christmas tree farms produce scenic green belts that create wildlife habitats, clean the air, and produces oxygen, making for a healthier planet. If you see a Christmas tree farmer, thank him or her for a better world!

Recycling

Christmas trees are a renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable resource.

Renewable

Real Christmas trees are completely renewable. For every one Christmas tree that is cut down, two or three more are planted. It takes about 7 to 10 years for a tree to become mature enough to be harvested. During that time, that tree provides for the cycle of life: taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. Once that tree has adorned a home, it can be used as a source of fuel for heating homes and businesses. Then the ashes can be spread in fields for fertilizer, thus starting the cycle of life all over again.

Reduce

Real Christmas trees reduce the amount of waste in landfills and dumps. Because they are 100% biodegradable, real trees will go back to earth naturally. They can be mulched, burned as fuel, or used as habitat for wildlife. Real trees don’t stay in landfills for centuries on end, thus reducing waste.

Recycle

The best way to avoid needles on your floor when the season is over is to place your real Christmas tree in a biodegradable tree removal bag. Place the bag under your tree stand when you initially set up your Christmas tree. You can hide the bag under your favorite tree skirt. When the holidays are over, pull the bag up and around your tree, stand and all, and carry it outside. Be sure to remove the stand before recycling the tree!

  • Curbside pick-up for recycling – most areas will collect trees on their regular pickup schedules during the 2 weeks following Christmas. Often there are requirements for size as well as removal of ornaments, garlands, and flocking.
  • Take your tree to a drop-off center – most counties have free drop-off locations.
  • Tree recycling/mulching programs – tree recycling and mulching programs are a fast-growing trend in communities throughout the nation. Check with your local department of public works for information. They chip and shred the trees and then make the mulch available for use in your garden.
  • Nonprofit pickup – call for an appointment to have a nonprofit pick up your tree for a small donation. Check with a local Scout troop.

Other Recycling Options

  • Soil erosion barriers: Some communities use Christmas trees to make effective sand and soil erosion barriers, especially for stabilization of lake and river shoreline as well as management of river delta sedimentation.

Christmas trees as Soil erosion barriers

  • Fish feeders: Sunken into private fish ponds, trees make an excellent refuge and feeding area for fish.
  • Bird feeders: Use your Christmas tree in the garden or backyard as a bird feeder and sanctuary. Fresh orange slices or strung popcorn will attract the birds, and they can sit in the branches for shelter. (Make sure all decorations, hooks, garland, and tinsel strands are removed). Eventually (within a year), the branches will become brittle, and you can break the tree apart by hand or chip it in a chipper.
  • Mulch: A Christmas tree is biodegradable; its branches may be removed, chipped, and used as mulch in the garden.
  • Paths for hiking trails: Some counties use the shredded trees as a free, renewable, and natural path material that fits both the environment and the needs of hikers!
  • Living, rooted trees: You can get a rooted (ball-and-burlap or containerized) tree and then plant it in your yard after Christmas. (It’s a good idea to pre-dig the hole in the late fall while the soil is still soft, and then plant the tree into that hole immediately after Christmas.) Living trees have a better survival rate in mild climates.