Don't just throw out your Christmas tree -- it can be used to help the environment

Yuletide decorations can last long past the season is over.

Commonly tossed to the curb after all of the presents under it have been opened, Christmas trees can provide the environment with multiple uses, said Rob Wolford, an urban gardening and environment educator for the University of Illinois extension program.

While trees cannot be replanted after they've been cut, they can be transformed into bird feeders or mulch, he said.

"A lot of municipalities do the mulching and you can use it in your garden and things like that," Wolford said. "If you have kids, turn it into an outdoor bird feeder. Lean it against the house, garage, fence or whatever. Buy little things of suet ... hang it in trees, take some pine cones and ... some peanut butter and spread it on it and roll it in bird seed and stick in the tree."

You can also cut off the tree's branches and use it as a mulch, Wolford said. However, that process is only effective at insulating plants when there isn't snow on the ground, he said.

While birds may flock to a Christmas tree feeder, don't worry if your dog or cat decides to munch on another holiday standard, the poinsettia. The brilliant red, white or green plant may have an unfair reputation as being poisonous to pets, according to Berwyn Animal Hospital veterinarian Judilee Marrow.

"Dogs don't usually eat it," Marrow said. "Usually it's a cat and we usually get phone calls about cats who are foaming at the mouth because it tastes bad. It's not a rabid reaction."

Scott Grosse, who owns Vaughans Garden Center in Western Springs, said poinsettias are very popular at his store during the holiday season. Wolford said poinsettias are seen as hot holiday commodities due to their coloring but shouldn't be viewed as poisonous.

"You have to eat like 500 leaves to get an upset stomach or sick," he said.

Wolford said poinsettias can be kept throughout the year but doesn't recommend it because the large amount of upkeep it requires.

"Because they're not that expensive, I would throw them away," he said. "To get them to re-color, you have to put them in the dark for about 14 out of 24 hours a day, and even if a crack of light gets in, it would just destroy the whole process."

Countryside Suburban Life