By Clint Thompson
Christmas season has come and gone. Homeowners are busy taking down the lights, packing up the decorations and cleaning up the mess following the annual holiday celebration.
They must also decide on what is to be done with the Christmas trees. Artificial ones are stored again for another year. Live trees must be dealt with differently. Fortunately, there are different ways that homeowners can dispose of their live trees, according to Jeremy Pickens, Alabama assistant Extension professor in horticulture at Auburn University.
“If you’re in a rural area, some people will burn them, but you’ve got to be really careful with that. They will obviously burn really hot, really quickly,” Pickens said.
“If they have regular yard debris pickup or they may have collection sites where they may go to be mulched. Like here in Mobile, the city mulches them, and I think gives away the mulch. Then there’s some pickup sites where I guess they go for artificial wreaths. It just kind of depends on the municipality you’re in and how they handle the bulk of trees coming out at the end of the year.
Christmas trees can also be placed in ponds to use as a fish habitat.
“There’s definitely different things they can go to. That is a benefit,” Pickens said.