FARMINGTON — Time gets the best of us, sometimes. Between the excitement of new gifts from the holidays, the new year celebrations, and the dread of returning to work, a lot of things are going though your minds during the end of the year.

For many of us, that means there is still a Christmas tree in the living room.

For some, it is just a plastic tree that will be easily packed away and stored until the next season. For others, it is an all natural, very real evergreen conifer that served its festive purpose for the holiday and it is now time to bid it farewell.

Whether you chopped your tree down over at Walter Gooley’s Christmas Tree Farm or snagged it from the Jay Fire Department, trees all have to go somewhere and we have some tips that may help you in making that decision.

Trash

This is the common method of disposing of a Christmas tree and requires little effort beyond lugging the dead conifer to the curb. Many towns offer curbside pickup for Christmas trees, especially during the holidays, but it is still important to check with your local waste management service to see if they will accept a Christmas tree for pickup.

Philip Hutchins, department head for Farmington’s Recycling Facility, said they can accept Christmas trees at no charge. “Feel free to swing by,” Hutchins said.

The trees are typically chipped or composted. If your waste management company doesn’t have the option, you can also try calling your local town office to see if they have a designated drop-off location for Christmas tree disposal.

Burn

It is still wood, after all, but don’t get too hasty with a set of matches. It needs to be a controlled burn. For an outside burn, Farmington Fire Chief Tim Hardy said to follow regulations for outdoor burning, which were recently updated in October for fires that exceed three feet in height and three feet in diameter. Hardy also added that a burn permit will also be required, which can be purchased through the state’s website or at your local town office.

A Christmas tree can be cut up and used for firewood in a firepit, a wood-burning stove, or fireplace. Northern Lights Maine Inc. in Farmington shared with The Franklin Journal that evergreen pines can burn hotter than normal cords of wood, so it is best to mix the two for a more controlled burn.

However, it is important to note that pine, fir, and spruce trees, when burned, create the highly flammable byproduct creosote, which build up in chimneys over time and create a risk of flue fires. Northern Lights stated that if you are only burning one tree, there shouldn’t be any more build up than usual, but if you plan on burning multiple trees, an additional cleaning is advised to reduce fire risk.

It should also be noted that needles will burn aggressively, and sparks can fly out of the fire.

Donate

Believe it or not, people will take your old Christmas tree off your hands with no charge at all. You can advertise on platforms such as Facebook and have your tree taken by a member of the community.

Some farmers will also take Christmas trees to feed to their animals, such as Walnut Ridge Farm in Wilton. According to Walnut Ridge, they will accept Christmas trees for their goats to eat, but under the condition that potential donors verify with the proprietor of their Christmas tree if they were sprayed with pesticides. If chemical pesticides were utilized, they will not accept the tree.

Walnut Ridge also asks all decorations, such as tinsel, be removed as well.

Charities and environmental groups will also offer Christmas tree recycling services, with some groups collecting for a donation and others having drop-off points throughout the state. These organizations will take trees for a variety of creative and environmentally friendly purposes, including community flood barriers, habitat restoration, soil erosion prevention, rebuilding of sand dunes, and more.

Replant

Nick Rowley from UMaine Cooperative Extension office in Franklin County shared with The Franklin Journal that replanting is also an option if the tree was purchased with it’s root system intact. If a tree was purchased with its root system still intact, the first step in replanting it is to re-expose to the outdoor elements.

“A Christmas tree presumably has spent at least a month indoors with indoor heating and such,” Rowley stated, “so it would need to spend some time outside in a dry area to allow it to essentially become dormant.”

Once in a dormant state, Rowley stated the tree can stay like that until spring when the ground thaws. “It should survive until the spring,” he said.

Once the ground is ready, Rowley recommends digging a shallow hole roughly two to three times the diameter of the root ball. He also added that you want to make sure you don’t cover the root flare as the roots will need oxygen to survive and that you can stake the tree if needed, but it is not necessary.

“Its a great way to save a tree and keep for the holiday season next year, if you have got space in your yard,” Rowley said.

Copy the Story Link