The holiday season is over, and now you’re left with a 7-foot problem shedding needles in your living room. Was it a good idea to adopt a live Christmas tree? Absolutely. Is it a good idea to keep it forever? Not unless you’re starting an indoor pine forest. So, what do you do with this festive guest who’s overstayed its welcome? From repurposing it as mulch to performing a heartfelt backyard burial, your options are as varied as the ornaments it wore.
However, Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanic Gardens, 7402 Lake Katherine Dr, Palos Heights, offered an eco-friendly way to say goodbye to your holiday companion with a tree recycling program.
“The program is an initiative sponsored by the Lake Katherine Green Team that aims to reduce the amount of trees entering the landfill,” Stacy Schuble, Marketing Coordinator Consultant at Lake Katherine, said.
Palos Heights residents, Brian and Michele Bohne happened to be walking the nature paths at Lake Katherine on Sunday afternoon and noticed a sign for the tree drop-off. Brian dropped off his Christmas tree a few days later.
“This is such a neat idea,” Brian said. “It’s better being here than ending up in a landfill somewhere.”
Residents, just like the Bohnes, are encouraged to drop off their live trees, once all decorations are removed, to be used as mulch for Lake Katherine’s trails. Trees can be dropped off near the end of the parking lot across from the farm implements through January 31.
“It’s an easy thing for people to do and has multiple benefits,” said Gareth Blakesley, director and chief naturalist at Lake Katherine.
Participating in Lake Katherine’s tree recycling program is simple. Those interested can start by removing all seasonal decorations, including plastic ornaments and tinsel. Once cleared of décor, trees can be dropped off at the designated area near the farm implements at the end of the parking lot at the nature center.
The recycled trees are put to good use. All donated evergreens are chipped and used as mulch along Lake Katherine’s nature trails, freshening the walking paths for spring. Chipping is set to take place in early April.
This marks the third year of the program, and staff at Lake Katherine hope to make it an annual tradition, citing environmental benefits.
“There are many benefits to this process, but the most important one is diverting trees from landfills and giving them a new purpose,” Blakesley said. “Christmas trees in landfills rot and release methane, a major greenhouse gas. By chipping them and using them on our paths, their carbon will slowly be released back into the soil.”
Lake Katherine, an 85-acre public park established in 1988, includes gardens, woodlands, wetlands, prairie, and a 10-acre manmade lake. Originally created as a stormwater retention basin for Chicago’s southwest suburbs, the park also serves as a recreational and educational space.
In recent years, restoration efforts have included volunteer removal of invasive buckthorns and planting around 50 native trees annually. Programs like tree recycling contribute to maintaining the park’s beauty and functionality year-round.
More than 50 trees were recycled last year. The number has increased over the first two years of the program. The trees will once again be chipped and distributed on the paths in the spring this year.
