Useful Things to do With Left Over Pine Christmas Trees

Some communities use Christmas trees to make sand and soil erosion barriers, especially at/on beaches and on river beds. Sinking them into private fish ponds trees make excellent refuges and feeding areas for fish

Nome about 150 miles south of the Arctic Circle has next to no trees because the permafrost only thaws a few feet down each summer, which is to shallow for most trees to take root. Christmas trees have to be shipped in.

When Christmas is over the townspeople of Nome create thier own winter wonderland of used Christmas trees, jokingly refered to as the Nome National Forest.

It's the only forest that goes out with the tides," said Arnie Ashenfelter

"We spread it out and make it look like a regular forest," said Connie Madden, who helps put up the forest.

There's enough of a used tree pine forest to serve as course hazard for the annual March golf tournament which is held to coincide with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Before the ice breaks up in the spring and takes the forest out to the Bering Sea, local high school students chop the trees down, salvaging the branches to be placed in streams as cover for newly hatched salmon roe.

"It's just one of those projects the whole town took to," Madden said.

The trunk and branches of Christmas trees can be used to make mulch for gardens, parks or in animal stalls. The mulch provides a protective barrier for the roots of other plants and vegetation while preventing weeds from growing. The mulch then decomposes, providing the nutrients plants need to thrive.

We used to use pine branches on the floors of our dog houses to help keep the dogs insulated from the cold floors in the winter.

The needles can be used to create potpourri. Dry the branches, then remove and crumble the needles. Mix the needles with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and Christmas scent. Place in jars to store. To create a pleasant Christmas scent, add one cup of water to one-fourth cup potpourri and heat it on a stovetop or in a potpourri heater. The potpourri makes a great gift for next Christmas

2 cups wild strawberry leaves 1/2 cup bayberry leaves 1/2 cup rose hips 1 cup pine needles 1/2 cup miniature pine cones 1/4 cup cedar bark or wood chips 5 drops pine oil 2 tablespoons orrisroot powder

Dry the rose hips, strawberry and bayberry leaves by spreading them out on a piece of screen or in a large colander. Turn the leaves two or three times a day to prevent molding. Once the rose hips and leaves are completely dry, crush them a bit with a mortar and pestle to release the scent.

Mix the crushed rose hips and leaves with the pine needles, pine cones and cedar bark or chips.

Stir the mixture gently while slowly adding 5 drops of pine oil. Mix well, so that the pine oil is evenly distributed throughout the potpourri. Allow the oil to dry completely.

Add the orrisroot powder while stirring the mixture, again mixing will to distribute the powder evenly. Orrisroot is a vegetable fixative that helps the potpourri hold its scent for long periods of time.

Simmer in a potpourri warmer or place small amounts of your colorful potpourri in display bowls or sachets, make pine needle potpourri balls or create small aromatic herb pillows.

All species of pine tree are sacred to the Cherokee. In the Far East, pine needle tea was used by Taoist priests to promote longevity. Today we know that it contains significant amounts of vitamin A and C, as well as tannin. Tannin is an antioxidant. Pine needle tea has been used all over the world to prevent scurvy in the winter.

Any species of pine or fir tree needle will make a good tea, and they each have their own distinctive flavor. Take fresh pine needles from near the tree trunk. Some recipes use the fresh green needles at the ends of branches but this may impair the tree's growth. Do not collect from trees situated near busy roads, as they may have picked up exhaust chemicals. And pines sold as Christmas trees may have been sprayed with pesticides and/or flame retardants. Use those pine needles as a carpet freshener dry the needles and sprinkle on your carpet before vacuuming.

Pine needle tea has a mild taste it’s a soothing drink, good hot or cold. To prepare it, chop up the pine needles and add a few tablespoons to a pot of boiling water. Let them steep, covered, for an hour. The tea can also be boiled, but loses Vitamin C content. If you like a stronger flavored tea, mix it with any other tea. Its traditional uses are relief of cold and flu symptoms, and as a mild diuretic.

This is a herbal recipe from the 19th century that’s said to remedy many common illnesses. The needles of the white pine are very high in Vitamin C (more than 6 lemons!) and also contain Vitamin A.

Select your pine needles by picking the newest green ones from the tree. These would be the ones nearest the end of each branch, and slightly lighter green than the rest of the needles

Finely chop them until you have about 1/2 cup.

Add your needles to the boiling water and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the volume of water has reduced by about 1/3.

Allow it to steep for anywhere from 20 minutes to overnight, depending on how strong you like your tea. The result will be a reddish colored tea with a mild taste. Store in the refrigerator.

Finally, last but not least, don't forget to cut your Yule Log for next year.