Christmas Tree Recycling

By Jeff Berti
The best thing about a natural Christmas tree is the smell. The worst thing is the problem of how to dispose of it when the holidays are over. It doesn’t have to be a problem, though. There are several ideas for turning old Christmas trees into fish and wildlife assets.
If you enjoy feeding birds during the winter, you can turn your tree into a bird-feeding station. Birds are skittish about exposing themselves to predators while eating. Putting your Christmas tree outside and hanging food items on it gives birds a sense of security while they eat.
Place the tree near a window so you can watch. You can leave it in the stand you used inside or put the trunk in a bucket of sand. Then, “decorate” it with strings of popped popcorn or cranberries. Cutting beef suet into half-inch cubes and stringing them between the cranberries creates a food item that nuthatches and woodpeckers will love.
Fruit-eating birds appreciate hand-me-downs from your refrigerator. Apples or oranges that are past their prime make a feast for waxwings, bluebirds, robins and mockingbirds. When you’re finished scooping sections out of a grapefruit, fill it with corn or sunflower seeds and hang it from a limb.
Don’t throw out stale bread. String it with thread and hang it on the tree. Old doughnuts or bagels can be hung on the tree just as they are.
You can make other edible ornaments by smearing peanut butter on pine cones and then rolling them in sunflower seeds. Another idea is combining equal parts of melted suet with corn syrup. After cooling the mixture, form into small balls. Next, roll the balls in bird seed to create tasty ornaments.
Your tree still has value, even when the food is gone. You can build a rabbit condo in your back yard by collecting neighbors’ trees and piling them two-deep. A brush pile built with Christmas trees should be placed on large rocks, logs or other bulky material to leave open space for small animals to move around underneath.
You can also use your Christmas tree underwater. Brush piles that are built properly and placed in favorable locations provide excellent fish habitat. Fish will linger there, making them easier to find with rod and reel.
Don’t sink your tree too deep. To do the most good, underwater brush piles should be placed in five-to-10 feet of water. The top of the pile should be only two-to-four feet underwater during fishing season.
Anchor fish attractors with concrete blocks or rocks. Polypropylene rope or aluminum wire are the best materials for tying trees to weights. If possible, place groups of three fish attractors in a triangle. This pattern attracts fish better, because it offers them more cover.
The easiest time to place fish attractors is when the water is frozen. Just leave the trees in the desired spot and wait for a thaw. Make sure you check the thickness of the ice before venturing out on the pond. Don’t do this by yourself, though. Tie a rope to your waist and bring a friend to stay on the bank and haul you in if the ice breaks.
You’ll be glad you recycled your tree when you catch a nice crappie over your fish attractor or watch a flock of cedar waxwings feeding at your outdoor Christmas tree.