The holiday season has come and gone, the treats are eaten, the gifts are put away, but one thing remains: that messy dead tree.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada is recommending that instead of bringing your tree to the curb, you leave it in your backyard for local wildlife to enjoy.

“Evergreens offer a safe place for birds to rest while they visit your feeder,” says Dan Kraus, Senior Conservation Biologist with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. “Another benefit is that if you leave the tree in your garden over the summer, it will continue to provide habitat for wildlife and improve your soil as it decomposes.”

He recommends re-decorating your Christmas tree with pine cones filled with peanut butter, strings of peanuts, and suet for the birds.

By the spring the tree will have lost most of its needles and recommends cutting off the branches and placing them in the garden to fertilize the soil.

“By fall, the branches and trunk will begin to decompose and turn into soil,” says Kraus. “Many of our Christmas trees, particularly spruce and balsam fir, have very low rot resistance and break down quickly when exposed to the elements. The more contact the cut branches and trunk have with the ground, the quicker it will decompose. Drilling holes in the tree trunk will speed up that process,” said Kraus.

Of course, if you’re hoping to get rid of tree a little quicker than that, there are other options.

Christmas tree disposal in Central Alberta

 

Red Deer

Red Deer’s fire department will not be picking up trees this year. Instead, the city recommends disposing your tree in the following ways:

  • Cut it up and place it in your green cart (be cautious to ensure the tree does not exceed the maximum weight of the cart)
  • Drop it off at the Waste Management Facility located at 1709-40 Avenue for a fee of $7.
  • Donate the tree to Medicine River Wildlife Centre

 

Sylvan Lake

Sylvan Lake residents have been asked to place their trees out for collection by January 4th, at 8:00 AM. It may take up to 10 days to collect the trees. If you’re neighbours still have their trees on the curb, you may have time to stick yours out there as well.

 

Lacombe

In Lacombe it may be important to note that the Wolf Creek Recycle Depot no longer accepts organic materials. However, organic materials can be dropped off to the Prentiss Transfer Station.

Innisfail

Christmas Tree Pickup will take place Jan. 11 - 22. Trees left curbside in front yards will be collected free of charge by Town staff. After Jan. 22, Trees can be taken to the Waste Transfer Station free of charge. For more info, visit http://innisfail.ca/garbage