How keeping your tree beyond Christmas can help the environment

The Nature Conservancy of Canada wantspeople to give life to their Christmas trees beyond the holiday season.

The best way to do thisis by throwing your evergreen tree in your backyard, said spokesperson Andrew Holland.

"When we think of protecting nature, we don't necessarily think of our own backyards, and by extending the life of the Christmas tree and recycling it, even for four or five months, you're giving birds a fighting chance to survive our tough winter climate," he toldDaybreak South'sBrady Strachan.

By simply putting your Christmas tree in the yard, it can provide a habitat for birds as well as food.

"We can put on long-johns. These birds can't do the same. So they need warmth and habitat over the winter months," said Holland.

"We quite often think about feeding birds other times of the year, but we don't necessarily think about feeding birds during the winter."

Hollandrecommends even putting peanut butter on the tree and pine cones to provide a food source forbirds and squirrels. (But you might want to consider whether your area has a rat problem before you put peanut butter in the yard.)

Tree recycling

The most important thing though, is that the trees aren't sent to a landfill where they can catch fire and release methane, said Holland.

He recommends holding onto your tree for a few months until the spring when many municipalitiessend out crews to collect yard waste.

However, most of the time the tree will break down before then, he added.

"The tree branches and those needles will break down organically the same as a tree does in a forest. It's the same principle," said Holland.

"That's good for your soil. So that might help out with fertilizer and stuff, save a few bucks on that."

To accelerate the process, you can drill a few holes into the tree, which may attract insects.

"This is a very small act of backyard conservation in nature that people can do that can really make a big difference."