Don't Use Your Christmas Tree for Firewood (but You Can Recycle It in Other Ways)

When it comes time to take down your natural tree, you might think that tossing it in the fireplace is an economical and simple solution for disposal. However, it’s not a good idea to burn your Christmas tree for firewood—it can cause issues with your fireplace and chimney. Rather than risking your safety, there are other more sustainable ways to reuse your tree and still cut down on disposal costs.

Evergreen trees tend to have pitch or sap, as well as needles. Because of these differences from traditional firewood, your tree could burn very hot, throw lots of sparks, and cause creosote build-up in your chimney. Creosote can cause a chimney fire if it gets thick enough before your chimney is cleaned. An overly hot fire could also damage the bricks or masonry of your chimney, causing it not to work properly to carry smoke safely to the outdoors. An overly smoky fire from uncured wood is also a danger when using a Christmas tree as fuel, so the best practice is to only use seasoned firewood that’s intended to be burned as fuel.

Best ways to recycle a Christmas tree

There are other ways you can "recycle" a Christmas tree, though, that are safer. Here are some ideas:

• Use it as firewood in an outdoor fire pit. Although you should take precautions to avoid igniting surrounding brush or dry grass from escaped sparks, you can choose to burn your Christmas tree in an outdoor fire pit. Since a fire pit doesn’t require a chimney or a flue, you don’t need to worry about causing a chimney fire with pitchy wood. Because needles can cause very hot and unpredictable fires, you should always have proper fire extinguishers and hoses at the ready just in case.

• Use it for mulch. Christmas trees make great wood chips and they can be used as a weed barrier for landscaping projects. In some places, your local trash pick-up might have a tree pick-up program where trees can go to be recycled into wood chips. If not, you can always decide to split a chipper rental with the neighborhood and get some low-cost, fresh-smelling mulch from the deal.

• Get out your chainsaw for some DIY projects. Cutting up the wood from your tree to make some clever DIY coasters from the rounds of the trunk of your tree is a fun way to recycle your tree. You can make a border for your garden bed with sections of your tree’s trunk. As with any chainsaw project, make sure you wear a face shield, heavy gloves, and protective clothing to avoid turning your holiday recycling project into a trip to the ER.

• Use smaller branches as plant markers and plant stakes. Select your branch and remove all the smaller twigs and needles from it. Then, use a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife to remove the bark. You can write the name of your plant on the stake or marker with a permanent marker once the bark is removed.

• Make sachets from pine needles. Using scraps of fabric sewn into small pillows and stuffed with the needles, this type of sachet can be used to keep drawers and cabinets fresh. You can also use needles (or branches with lots of needles) to cover vegetable gardens or perennials during the winter. This practice can add nutrients back into the soil, as well as help prevent mold.

from LifeHacker https://ift.tt/EaBYNTo

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