The holiday weekend has passed, and families may wonder what they can do with their natural Christmas tree. But as New Year’s creeps up, many tree recycling programs are sprouting across the country.
One common way a tree can be recycled is by placing it back into its environment to be used to spring up new life.
LOVE, RESPECT, AND COMMON GROUND WOULD BE A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE
States such as Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, Virginia, and Georgia have asked the public to donate their trees to be converted into mulch or used in fish habitats.
These habitats are made by tying trees to cement blocks and submerging them into 4 to 7 feet of water, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.
“Much like we as humans need a home, fish also need to have shelter so that they can rest, feed, and hunt,” Missouri Department of Conservation Fisheries Management biologist John Schulte said in a news release.
“These trees will help young fish escape predators in the lake. … With this cover new generations of fish are … less likely to be eaten, which can potentially help support the fishery,” Schulte added.
New York City also has a program for repurposing trees, launching its annual Mulchfest on Tuesday.
During the event, which has been going on for more than 20 years, New Yorkers can bring their live Christmas trees to all five boroughs to be used for gardening and soil fertility, according to the city. The Parks Department broke a record in 2020 with over 50,000 trees mulched.
“Put on your boots and haul your tree to a Mulchfest location — we’ll chip your tree into wood chips that we’ll use to nourish trees and make NYC even greener,” the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation wrote in a release.
The city is also offering a “tree-mento” for those who bring their trees in, offering to give them their own bag of mulch to take home.
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Approximately 25 million-30 million real Christmas trees are sold every year in the United States, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
More than 4,000 local Christmas tree recycling programs exist across the 50 states, according to its website.
For every “Real Christmas Tree” harvested, one to three seedlings are planted the following spring, the association said.
