Your Christmas tree may still appear green, but all that time inside your home in the high desert has dried that dead tree from the inside out, making it extremely flammable. Needles, sap and small branches can burn too quickly for an indoor woodstove to safely handle, and a Christmas tree can combust so fast that it can literally explode – causing damage to your woodstove, chimney and possible more.
The same goes with burning outdoors – embers and burning material can easily lift into the air and spread to dry areas. Recent rain minimizes some dangers, but burning a tree without chopping it down into more manageable sizes can quickly build to an out of control fire.
Recycling your tree keeps it out of landfills – residents with curbside service can place their undecorated tree at the curb on their regular trash day to be picked up. Be sure to completely strip your tree of lights and ornaments – the tree will be ground up and repurposed as mulch.
From Burrtec’s website on Christmas Tree Disposal:
- Place your tree at the curb by 6:00 am on your regular collection day from December 26th through January 7th.
- Trees over 6 feet must be cut in half.
- Please remove all tinsel, ornaments, plastic, bags, stands, braces, wire and nails.
- No artificial trees will be accepted.
