Christmas trees can be reused

Another Christmas has come and gone and many people are left wondering what to do with this year's tree. If it's artificial, you simply box it up and stash it in the attic until next year, but if it's a real tree, the disposal is more challenging.

Old trees can be used as kindling, potpourri, or wildlife habitat just to name a few things. Most of the conifer species have a lot of oil in them and that makes them very combustible. The smaller limbs from a cedar, pine or fir tree can be cut to lengths of about a foot and used as what is called a fuzz stick. Simply start at one end of the stick and shave a bit of the thin bark off to the point of separation, but leave it attached. Work your way around and along the stick until it resembles a small bushy tree. These fuzz sticks light quickly and easily and produce a hot flame that will quickly get your fireplace or wood stove going.

Christmas has its own set of smells and the tree is one of them. You can prolong that by stripping some of the needles from your tree, crushing them and placing them in a dish as a pot pourri. Do this before making fuzz sticks and you will get maximum use from that tree. If you are a hunter and your tree is a cedar, the crushed needles left in the pockets of your hunting garment help to mask human odor.

The whole tree or left over trunk and larger limbs of your tree can be made into wildlife habitat by creating a brush pile or sinking them in a pond. If you have property, an old tree can be set at the edge of the property to provide cover for small birds and mammals. Two or three trees bundled together works even better; just make sure to place a large log under them to keep them off the ground and create the nooks and crannies that small animals prefer. They will also last longer if not in direct contact with the ground.

Conifers make great fish habitat. If you have your own pond or lake they can be sunk to create a living space for small fish. The best way to do this, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation, is wait until the pond is frozen several inches thick and then take the tree out on the ice. If you have more than one tree, great! Wire them together and attach some cinder blocks for weight and leave them on the ice. When it melts, your habitat improvement project is complete. Old trees also make good erosion control. Place them in small ditches to impede the flow of rushing water and allow sediment to collect, thereby slowing the erosion process.

Old Christmas trees also can be used to attract wildlife. It can be left in the stand and placed in the yard as a makeshift birdfeeder. It can also be hung from a tree in the yard or placed in a bucket to keep it upright. Winter is hard for small birds and a little extra forage helps them out and they add some color and movement to an often dreary winter day. Kids can get involved by stringing popcorn or small fruits like cranberries or raisins on a thread and wrapping the tree with them. Use a cotton thread and it will rot away and not damage the environment. Peanut butter smeared on the limbs works well as a high energy food source and so does a chunk of beef suet speared on a limb of the tree. This can also be done on the brush pile.

Use your imagination and there is no telling what idea you may come up with to make some use of that old tree. If you draw a blank or don't have property of your own, there are other options. Just remember that no matter what you do with your tree, it should be cleaned of all trimmings, especially tinsel.

Residents of Nevada can dispose of their trees locally. The city of Nevada will accept them at the compost center where they will be chipped and used as mulch. Trees will be accepted Tuesday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. this week After that, trees can be dropped off during the center's regular business hours of 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The discarded trees will be used to enhance fish and wildlife habitat in the city owned water structure properties.