ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) - Scientists from Cornell have a few tips for those of you who cut down Christmas trees, now that the holiday is behind us.
Brian Eshenaur is the lead arborist for Cornell Botanic Gardens and says there are plenty of ways to recycle those trees.
Trees can be left in a yard and used as a temporary shelter for wild life. He says when we get heavy snows, birds and rabbits really appreciate the covering.
And a number of municipalities pick up trees and do the recycling for you if you want them out of your space.
“They chip them up and they become mulch and the mulch is often used on pathways and parks. Many of the municipalities like the city of Rochester offer the mulch as a benefit to residents who want to come pick it up as well.”
Eshenaur says he’s actually a fan of natural Christmas trees.
“I think some people feel like they’re removing a tree from the environment. But if there wasn’t the demand for it, these fields of Christmas trees wouldn’t be there. And when a tree is cut, the Christmas tree grower replaces it with another tree.”
He says while the trees are growing they’re a benefit to the environment by providing oxygen and even after their use they are biodegradable, while plastic trees will at some point, end up in a landfill.