"Bushcrafty" Christmas tree disposal

[Dadio]

When my father-in-law owned a farm, I would use old Christmas trees for erosion control or for more habitat for fish in the pond. The last several years, though, I've been taking them to the local yard waste place where they chip them into mulch/compost. I've also cut the trunks up to use for firewood on a future outing. Now, those aren't bad ways to make use of the tree, but I was wondering if you all had any ideas of a more
bushcrafty end use for the tree.

 

[wildernut]

I just toss it into the field,

My llama and sheep like the needles, when the tree is stripped I chop it up.

 

[RangerJoe]

I am starting a tradition this year....The New Years Eve, burning of the Christmas tree.

 

[Prof]

The last time we had a real tree, I took it out to the burn barrel in the back yard and dropped it in. Flames shot 20 feet in the air from the dry pine needles and the resinous wood. After seeing that, no more real trees!

 

[Driftingrz]

sounds like a fun use of the tree joe..... but what am i gonna do with all that melted Plastic? hahaha.. but seriously sounds fun.. if i had a pond or lake id toss it in for structure/habitat..... but i dont

 

[Blackhawk45hunter]

It might be cool to carve some spoons out of the trunk.
If it's big enough, a kuksa could be cool too!

 

[Kimber45guy]

I plan on drying and seasoning the wood for future lathe projects. Maybe not so bushcrafty?

 

[econnofoot]

I have a fake tree...not much I could do with that.

 

[Gryphonblade]

I take mine apart and put it back in the box, lights and all.

We did a tree drive one year for the Scouts and hi-graded the best of the trees for dogsleds for the annual Klondike Derby Camporee...each troop builds a sled and races them pulled by the boys. A lot of fun.

The rest got cut up into firewood for campouts or delivered to folks in need.

 

[harvey_birdman]

A year supply of pine needle tea.

Cut it into small sections, and boil out the sap. Use the sap and the saw dust from cutting it up to make tender balls.

Or reduce the sap to turpintine?

That is just a few things that come to mind. I don't use a real tree so I haven't put a lot of thought into how to get rid of one.

 

[Dadio]

We did a tree drive one year for the Scouts and hi-graded the best of the trees for dogsleds for the annual Klondike Derby Camporee...each troop builds a sled and races them pulled by the boys. A lot of fun.

Sounds cool! How do you make the trees into dogsleds? Just tie some ropes to the bottom branches and pull or is it more involved? Or do they use trunks to fashion sleds out of?

 

[Gryphonblade]

We did a tree drive one year for the Scouts and hi-graded the best of the trees for dogsleds for the annual Klondike Derby Camporee...each troop builds a sled and races them pulled by the boys. A lot of fun.

Sounds cool! How do you make the trees into dogsleds? Just tie some ropes to the bottom branches and pull or is it more involved? Or do they use trunks to fashion sleds out of?

Peel the bark, lash the tops together and bend them over to form the runner and top rail x2. Lash them together with side posts and cross-braces. Cut a deep groove in the bottom to nest the lashing into so it still slides nice. Once it packs full of snow, add a bit of water to freeze it and the groove is filled. I don't have any pics any more, sorry. Do have some pics of the last time I went out with them, but we made more conventional sleds that time.

 

[aste]

Usually take it down on new years weekend, limb it and cut it up into firewood. Got a farm tree this year, though, and it dried out so fast, I'll be taking it down tonight.

 

[Seeker]

got a fake tree a few years ago and haven't looked back... i'm kind of a christmas decorating scrooge anyway. (if you remember an earlier post, my christmas in somalia cured me of commercialism.) so the fake tree is a lot easier.

before that though, i used to just dump them in my back yard as small animal habitat... birds (brown thrashers especially) and rabbits loved them.

a lot of local guys tie on a cinder block and a gallon jug of some sort, and dump them in the lake. this creates an artificial fish cover spot, marked so they can find it again.

 

[saintnick001]

Fake trees all the way for us. My dogs like to drink the water and eat the needles on the real ones. I don't think that's probably good for them.
Doesn't Marsh carve ornaments out of her's?

 

[MiddleWolf]

Driftingrz had a good idea. Set it in a piece of cement and sink it for habitat if allowed and helpful in your area.

 

[Friartuck]

Back yard animal habitat until spring the it goes on the first big campfire of the season.

 

[Noware]

I just toss it into the field,

My llama and sheep like the needles, when the tree is stripped I chop it up.

The llamas eat the needles? I have two llamas and they love willow branches, but never thought of pine needles. I'll have to give it a try.

 

[swamprat]

I do what driftingz does and tie a concrete block to it and sink it for fish habitat. Crappie will use it for a few years before it totally decays.