Select landfills and transfer stations in the Cariboo Regional District will accept old Christmas trees when residents are ready to take them down at home.
The CRD confirmed in the Central Cariboo there will be free drop off for Christmas tree disposal at the 150 Mile House, Big Lake, Horsefly, Likely, McLeese Lake, West Chilcotin, Wildwood and Williams Lake stations.
Residents are reminded to remove all tinsel and decorations from the trees as only “naked” tress will be accepted.
The CRD’s holiday business hours for the Williams Lake, 100 Mile House and Quesnel offices are as follows:
• Dec. 24: Closing at 2 p.m.
• Dec. 25 to Jan. 1: Closed
• Jan. 2: Open at 8 a.m.
If you need to report a CRD-related emergency while offices are closed, such as a CRD water or sewer system emergency, please call the office at 1-800-665-1636 and press 5.
For CRD Library hours, visit your local library’s Facebook page or call your community library directly for their holiday hours.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada, however, suggests people put old Christmas trees in the backyard over the winter to provide benefits for wildlife.
“Your tree can improve habitat for bird populations during the winter months, especially on cold nights during a storm,” noted NCC’s senior conservation biologist in a press release.
“Evergreens offer a safe place for birds to rest while they visit your feeder,” Kraus stated.
“Another benefit is that if you leave the tree in your garden over the summer, it will continue to provide habitat for wildlife and improve your soil as it decomposes.”
By spring the tree will resemble the style of a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, he added, but encouraged people to lay them where spring flowers are starting to show up and place the trunk in the soil.
Each backyard is an ecosystem of its own and provide an opportunity to learn about forest ecology, Kraus noted.
Leading up to Christmas, the Tribune did a web poll asking readers if they have real or artificial, trees, neither or both.
Results of the poll showed that 47.1 per cent had artificial, 41.38 had real, 7.76 per cent had neither and 3.45 per cent had both.
With files from the CRD and Nature Conservancy of Canada.
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