Once you start stealing Christmas trees, you may not want to stop. I’ve got three right now. The best was the dried-up cedar by the curb a block over. My kid hauled it home for me, dragging it behind like a giant peacock tail.
From Dec. 26 through February, hundreds of used Christmas trees get tossed to the curbs at Metro’s 12 tree-cycling locations. Ideally, they all get chipped for mulch—mountains of free mulch—but the truth is, not all tree tossers read the rules. Trees that are stuck in stands, strung with lights, draped with tinsel, or flocked with whatever “flocking” is made of can NOT be recycled. They go to the landfill. So, these are rejects I steal first.
After-Christmas evergreens make great temporary brush piles for winter birds: they give cover to species loathe to fly up to a birdfeeder. Ground-feeders feed on the ground. Two examples: the visiting White-throated Sparrows and the year-round Mourning Doves. Asking a White-throated Sparrow to spend all day on a tube feeder four feet off the ground is like asking me to go sit on a barstool at Applebee’s. It’s not going to happen.
I pile the trees near the feeders by the kitchen window so we can watch the action. So many more species show up and stay now that we offer good cover. And in spring, when the needles drop and birds find more food sources, Christmas trees can burn like mad. I did say “temporary” brush pile. You could let the city chipper service collect them at the curb, or you could have a ton o’ fun watching a resinous tree go up in flames. Moved to a safe place, of course, and with the regulation bucket of water adjacent.
Permanent brush piles are even better: more cover for more critters for longer. And they make it so easy to dispose of extra branches, brush, and leaves anytime.
Wreath Rescue
Wreaths are also no-nos for Metro dropoffs, because under all that greenery is a heavy-gauge wire frame that can’t be fed to a chipper. This means wreaths *should* be stolen, to save them from the landfill. They are awfully fun to burn, and after the greenery is gone, you’ve got a heavy hoop nicer than the kind you could buy from craft stores. But even if you, like me, have no desire to ever craft a new wreath from an old one, you can still use the hoops for other projects: bird feeder hangers, yard art, plant supports, and such. They rust beautifully.
Radnor Lake accepts trees, too, which are chipped for free and spread on the trails. Weeks after, there’s always that little bit of tinsel aflicker every few yards, despite requests that donors pluck it first.
SIDEWALK NATURE 