Christmas Tree-cycling

Tasha Messer watched her dad and brother dump the tree in the lake. The Christmas tree slowly descended 20 feet to join more than 60 other trees at the bottom of Council Grove City Lake last year.

In a few weeks, Messer, Council Grove freshman, and her family will collect around seven used Christmas trees and send them flying off her grandparents' dock into Council Grove City Lake as they have done for the past nine years.

"My dad claims that everyone fishes at my grandparents' dock because of the trees we throw off there," Messer said. "It makes a good habitat for crappie fish in the lake."

For the past 14 years, the city of Lawrence has collected live Christmas trees to recycle. The trees are taken to an open space north of Lawrence where they are placed whole for wildlife use.

"Wildlife can go in and build nests and use the trees as habitat for the winter, which a lot of times is difficult to find," Cassandra Ford, Waste Reduction and Recycling Specialist for Lawrence said.

Ford said 2,400 trees were collected last year but she has seen a decrease in the number of trees collected the past two years because residents are using artificial trees.
According to a survey by the National Christmas Tree Association, the number of fake trees sold increased 46 percent from 2006 to 2007.

Eric Walther, owner of Strawberry Hill Christmas Tree Farm at 749 Highway 40 in Lawrence, said he has not seen a decrease in business since he sold his first tree 24 years ago. Usually Walther sells between 700 and 800 trees each year. Walther said that his trees provide shelter for animals as they grow and help the environment.

"Trees are used to make mulch and bird feeders," Walther said. "Clinton Lake is lined with Christmas trees. Artificial trees are put in a landfill."

Bob Yoos, Solid Waste Division Manager of Lawrence said that the trees collected by the city were put in Clinton Lake once and that the city of Manhattan puts its trees in Tuttle Lake each year.

"A few years ago, a group of Boy Scouts worked with Clinton Lake rangers and chained Christmas trees to cement blocks to put in the lake," Bob Yoos, Solid Waste Division Manager of Lawrence said. "We haven't had anyone express interest to put them in the lake since then."

Artificial trees are made out of plastic and aluminum which makes them reusable each year. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, $66.2 million worth of artificial trees were shipped from China to the U.S. between January and August in 2008.

Artificial trees are used for the convenience, easy maintenance and one-time price. But that does not stop millions of people from buying real ones each year.

"A real tree smells so good and smells up the entire house," Messer said. "I hate getting out a fake tree and fixing branches."

Walther said many customers he sees come for the experience of picking out a tree and chopping it down. His farm offers free hayrides and apple cider to give children the full experience.

To have your live Christmas tree recycled in Lawrence, it must be free of artificial items and put on the curb or alley by 6 a.m. on Jan. 5 or Jan. 12.

Click here for a look at the life of a Christmas tree farmer
Video: Michelle Sprehe