Give your old Christmas tree a newlife
Just because Christmas is over doesn’t mean your tree’s story has to end! Once the decorations are down and the festive glitter is swept away, your Christmas tree can still have an important role to play in your garden.
Why recycle your Christmas tree?
- Wildlife: Leftover branches and trunks can provide shelter, nesting materials, and hiding places for birds, hedgehogs, and insects.
- Decomposition: The trees gradually decay, returning nutrients to the soil and storing important carbon in the wood for months or years.
- Soil health: Chopped or shredded woodcan be used as mulch or “brown” material in compost, helping to lock in moisture and keep your soil healthy.
- Avoid waste: Some council collect trees to chip or burn, but using your tree at home helps the planet even more because it doesn’t have to travel anywhere.
Before you get started, ask yourself these questions…
1. What type of tree do I have?
If real, is it cut or does it still have roots? If it has roots, you can replant it!
2. What do I want to do with it?
Would you like to create a habitat, add it to compost, replant it, or do something else entirely?
3. Where will I put it?
Choose a shaded corner of your garden and clear a small space ready for your tree’s next adventure.
4. How can I stay safe?
Wear gloves, ask an adult for help, and remember, branches can be very heavy.
Ways to recycle or repurpose your tree:
Create a wildlife habitat
Place the trunk and larger branches in a corner of your garden. This provides handy hiding places for animals to nest and live throughout winter.
Let it rot
Stack your tree in a shaded part of the garden. Real Christmas trees are biodegradable and will rot away, disappearing into the soil over time.
Add to your compost heap
Cut or chip the branches into small pieces (so they break down more easily) and add to your compost heap. Just avoid adding too much at once!
Replant your potted tree
If you bought a living Christmas tree with roots still attached, you can replant it outdoors. Choose a spot in your garden, dig a hole deep enough for the roots, plant it, and water your tree well.
Create a dead hedge
A dead hedge is a natural garden wall made from old branches and twigs. To make one, just stack your Christmas tree’s branches between two posts or fences to build a long, low wall.
Donate it
Some farms will happily take your real Christmas trees in January because, believe it or not, goats love them! They make a tasty, healthy treat for many animals to munch on. Reach out to a local farm, zoo, or animal sanctuary to find out if they accept donations. Make sure there’s no sprayed-on snow, tinsel, glitter, or chemical treatments on your tree before donating!
After recycling your tree
Once your Christmas tree has been recycled or turned into a wildlife home, there are lots of fun ways to keep watching and learning:
Spot visitors
Set up a camera or use a phone to take a few photos each week of your habitat. Which birds, bugs, and other creatures come to visit?
Keep a nature journal
Draw sketches of how you recycled your tree and any animal tracks you spot, keep note of the weather, or watch how plants grow around your tree. It’s a great way to record all the action!
Plant something new
If you replanted your tree, try planting a shrub or some wildflowers around the base in spring. This helps pollinators like bees and butterflies and makes your garden even more colourful.