Recycle your Christmas tree

There are lots of uses for old Christmas trees and many different places to recycle them at. It’s

This is the Christmas tree graveyard at my home. It’s a great way to help out wildlife and recycle Christmas trees.

important to remove all ornaments, lights and decorations before taking the next step. There’s no reason to send a tree to the landfill.

If you have room on your property they make great habitat for wildlife. I have a pile of old trees, built from 21 seasons living in the same house. Birds, rabbits and other woodland creatures will be happy to use the trees for places to nest and hide.

The dried branches and wood can be used as outdoor firewood. Most people don’t burn pine in their fireplace as it produces a lot of creosote.

There’s not an official program, but some state parks looks for trees to use as fish habitat. If you own a medium sized pond, that would be a good way to recycle the tree.

Check local municipality web sites to see where the tree can be recycled.

Here’s a list of locations in Pittsburgh to take your tree.Here are some sites around Allegheny County courtesy of Tree Pittsburgh.

Doug Oster is editor of Everybody Gardens, a website operated by 535Media, LLC. Reach him at 412-965-3278 or doster@535mediallc.com. See other stories, videos, blogs, tips and more at everybodygardens.com.