What can you use an old xmas tree for?

[Beardy]

wouldnt make the tea : they spray xmas trees with something to reduce the needles dropping:- god knows what it is but i woulnt want to drink an infusion of it

Cheers for the heads-up. I've never made tea with the needles either, the tree is in our compost pile as we speak, but I had no idea that they are sprayed.

It's quite depressing really the lengths that our system will go to in the name of consumerism - spray trees so that the completely natural, organic, harmless and safe process of losing needles is lessened; thereby introducing god-knows-what chemical into the environment I should imagine. Very mixed up thinking!

 

[John Fenna]

No, I don't replant it, I don't dig it up in the first place. I just find the idea of killing a tree for no good reason rather distasteful.

I whole heartedly agree with you Ged!
Why kill a tree just to make your house look pretty?
I dislike cut flowers in a house for the same reason - I would much rather use potted plants that are alive than the decapitated remains of a living thing.....
I used to have a live tree with roots every year and replant them after the 12 days were up - but a lot of them died.
Now I have an artificial tree (me - the man who promotes natural materials for as many things as possible!) as I can see no point in putting a living thing through the stress of uprooting and possible death purely to make my house look "nice" for a couple of weeks. The tree I have is mainly made from wire and paper...though there is a goodly amount of plastic in there too I am afraid. The same tree has been in use now for a good number of years so the global impact should be fairly low....
As to folk asking what you use to cook with etc - I use mainly wood. But it is not just to make things pretty for a couple of weeks then get discarded. My wooden tools should last the best part of a lifetime, firewood is (to my mind) a cleaner/more sustainable (low carbon footprint and all that) form of fuel than gas or petrol.
OK - you can carve your tree or burn it (I like the candle idea) but to be fair, a small tree is not the greatest carving or burning wood.

If a tree is cut down and only used for decoration for a couple of weeks then discarded to rot then I see the same ethics in play as those employed by "bushcrafters" who will cut a green tree down just to test the edge of their axe. I prefer to see living things alive rather than chopped down for what is basically vanity.

It is strange that (IIRC) the Xmas tree was originally celebrating the Spirit of Nature and the beauty of the great outdoors!

Well that is my logic for having an artificial tree anyway...... and I realise that I am in a minority with my views.....works for me though!
I find it refreshing that the OP was interested in finding an extra use for the remains of the tree - it shows (I think) a reluctance to waste the wood/life of the tree

 

[Beardy]

Is it not just a feature of modern forestry though? Every few years you remove the less-than-perfect specimens of tree so that those that are straighter, taller, healthier get the full resources and space they need. Forest owners will do this whether the removed trees go on to be used for Christmas trees or dumped in a ditch somewhere - it safeguards their livelihood as a better crop when mature can be used for a lot more and is worth a lot more. And if they are going to be cut down anyway, what's the harm in using them as decorations for a few weeks? Better that then to go to rot than simply to go to rot straight off.

I may be simplifying this quite a bit, (it's a brief understanding of forestry gained from talking to a mate who works as a tree surgeon and just finished his countryside management degree), so might be off the mark in a few places, but that was what I thought happened. After all, why would the forest owner remove physically perfect and well sited trees and get not so much for them, when he could wait a number of years and get the full amount from a much more valuable mature and perfect specimen?

 

[John Fenna]

Is it not just a feature of modern forestry though? Every few years you remove the less-than-perfect specimens of tree so that those that are straighter, taller, healthier get the full resources and space they need. Forest owners will do this whether the removed trees go on to be used for Christmas trees or dumped in a ditch somewhere - it safeguards their livelihood as a better crop when mature can be used for a lot more and is worth a lot more. And if they are going to be cut down anyway, what's the harm in using them as decorations for a few weeks? Better that then to go to rot than simply to go to rot straight off.

I may be simplifying this quite a bit, (it's a brief understanding of forestry gained from talking to a mate who works as a tree surgeon and just finished his countryside management degree), so might be off the mark in a few places, but that was what I thought happened. After all, why would the forest owner remove physically perfect and well sited trees and get not so much for them, when he could wait a number of years and get the full amount from a much more valuable mature and perfect specimen?

A good many Xmas trees are grown just for cutting as Xmas trees - a cash crop that is just for that one market..... though I grant you, some come from forestry thinning operations.

 

[MSkiba]

I saw tesco's selling small xmas trees in plant pots (oo I'd a 3 footer). Im going for this next year, when your done pop it into your garden, when it gets bigger, put it into a bigger pot. Xmas tree for life and you can watch it grow!

 

[Beardy]

A good many Xmas trees are grown just for cutting as Xmas trees - a cash crop that is just for that one market..... though I grant you, some come from forestry thinning operations.

That's quite surprising to me and makes me wonder, that someone would choose to do that rather than get the full value of them further down the line.

But I suppose the advantage to them and their business is that they would not have to wait until Year 20 or 30 or whenever for payday, but always have a steady (ish) income annually. Still, I'm a bit surprised that many people go down this route instead of opting for the longer term stuff.

 

[JohnC]

I dont like the idea of the tree in the house, we've used a cone of chicken wire for the last 10 years and its been fine... It's very much a personal thing, if someone has a tree, I'd not take issue with them about it.
re the OP, I'd chop it up and use the main trunk in the garden for a support if possible, failing that, I'd use it in a fire..

 

[v-ness]

Some councils have a site were you can drop your tree off to be mulched and then used for compost.

You could try getting in contact with them to see if there is a similar scheme in your area.

Cheers
Ness

 

[Toddy]

I seem the remember someone on this forum who used to carve a decoration out of part of the tree and that went on next years tree. Can't remember how many years they'd been doing it but there were quite a few on their tree

I like that idea

I was really ill just before Christmas and I hadn't bothered to decorate. I have a fake tree that suits our centrally heated house, but it's up the loft, it's heavy and HWMBLT and Son1 both had damaged ribs after falling on ice and Son2 had the flu along with me, but the day before Christmas eve I was in B&Q and they were selling off their real trees for a penny

It cost me another £7.49 for a tree stand right enough
I love the idea of fresh greenery in the house at that time of year, I do have houseplants but I love fresh flowers, especially scented ones, they force them in greenhouses further up the valley.

The real tree though was a nightmare to set up, jaggy as a cactus, shed needles everywhere (didn't ever look bare though ) and the initial scent of pine rapidly evolved into a stench like cat pee.

I took it down the day after Boxing Day.

I'm having my fake one next year and I'll decorate one of the living ones outside just for the fun of it

I dragged the cut real one out of the garden and tucked it in against our outside fence among the trees where it can rot down in peace.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Stratts]

Thanks guys I never thought I'd open up such a debate over my tree!!

I was after a means of using the tree rather than just taking it to the tip, as I don't like to see things wasted if poss. Although they do mulch up all greenery and then sell the bags of stuff back to the public, albeit quite expensive if I remember correctly!!

It's the 1st one I've had tbh and it came from a place who grows them just for the xmas market. Never seen so many trees and so many people getting them either, it was mobbed!!

I had thought about looking into buying one that is rooted in a tub as they sell them too for next year!

 

[Paul_B]

Hi guys,
I have our xmas tree laying in the garden and before I take it to the tip I was wondering if there's anything it could be used for?

How about a new Chyristmas tree the next year?

Always get a rooted tree. They last better and you can always plant for the next year. My parents have done that and I did for a while but never re-used it and it died. Was in a pot though. My Dad planted in gardn and it was still good for this year too. Can go off in terms of shape and look but you shouldget two or three yers out of each one.

 

[Tor helge]

You could use the top to make a "tvare" and burn the rest.

The "tvare" is used to whisk sausces, cheese and make porrige.

Tor

 

[flexo]

mine was a spruce i used some needles to make a woodsman tea,an chopped down the rest i use daily to start fire

 

[Totumpole]

I used the wider part of last years trunk for decorations. I cut it into disks, sanded them and drilled patterns and then joined the dots with coloured thread (or rather the other half did the latter part). They made good gifts, look good on the tree and also as decoration in general.

The other idea I had would require a wider trunk, but you could make coasters out of similar disks.

 

[Totumpole]

Picture didn't work - you can see an example (without the coloured thread) at this link http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=14691807&l=4601a653f2&id=801335146

 

[Toddy]

You could use the top to make a "tvare" and burn the rest.

The "tvare" is used to whisk sausces, cheese and make porrige.

Tor

Finally a whisk made from stuff that actually grows here

Neat idea, thank you

cheers,
Mary