Families have fun choosing and decorating their Christmas trees. The twinkling lights, the bright colored ornaments, the handcrafted decorations the kids make and the yummy candy canes along with that fresh pine smell add a special glow to the holidays. But after the holidays, cleaning up those messy shed needles or dragging that tree out of the house isn’t as glorious.

“It is disheartening to think that one of our cherished Christmas symbol will soon be found dis-carded along roadsides or in the landfill, still glittering with remnants of tinsel, a by-product of the holidays, a waste product of the past,” said Steve Mortakis, county extension coordinator.

Before discarding the Christmas tree like another household garbage item, stop and think about its many practical uses that can help you achieve a bountiful return on your investment, suggest Mortakis.

The pine straw alone on an average tree will mulch two or three ornamental shrubs around the home. Simply set the tree aside and let the needles drop, netting a five-percent return on invest-ment, said Mortakis.

Branches clipped from trees that are slow to shed their needles can be used for erosion control on step banks until a permanent cover may be established. Small twigs and needles can be clipped and placed in the compost pile to generate rich organic mulch.

“If you have a fish pond, throw the tree along the edge of the pond to provide cover and nesting sites for fish. And how about tying your Christmas tree to a post or existing tree in the back yard, removing a few of the branches back to four to six inch stubs and placing suet, orange slices, and seeds on each stub. The birds will enjoy the winter shelter of the branches while having a real holiday of their own “chewing the fat,” said Mortakis

There may be a Christmas tree recycling program that will be going on here in Gordon County, Calhoun or in Rome, Cartersville and Dalton that chip the trees. Watch the papers or listen to the radio or cable TV for these announcements.

Many retailers that sell fresh cut Christmas trees also offer shredding service after the holidays. While shredded trees make excellent mulch for the landscape, one University of Georgia expert suggests consumers think about what to do after the holidays before they buy the tree.

“If you don’t need a huge tree, and a 6- to 7-foot tree will work, you can go to any garden center and look at the live conifers available,” said Matthew Chappell, a UGA Cooperative Extension horti-culturist. “There are so many choices. Cupressus, Chamaecyparis, Thuja, Leyland Cypress, Cedrus and Juniperus all will work as Christmas trees.”

Using a live potted tree doesn’t require more work than a cut tree, just a little different care. There are two big points to remember, he said.

“The tree should only be inside for a week to 10 days,” he said. “Placing the tree inside will shock the tree because when you move a tree inside, you are significantly altering the growing environ-ment to lower light, drier and warmer conditions, especially if you put the tree near a woodstove or fireplace. This means the tree should be removed the day after Christmas.”

Also remember to water. “The tree will need to be watered every 1-2 days until water drains through the bottom of the pot,” he said.

Live trees can be economical, too. In the Atlanta area, a 6- to 7-foot live tree in a 15-gallon con-tainer at a local retail outlet sells for between $100 and $140. A 15-gallon 6-foot Leyland Cypress goes for between $90 and $100 at local nurseries and tree growers. Both are comparably priced to fresh-cut trees.

Faith Peppers contributed to this story and is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agri-cultural and Environmental Sciences.