Compost

I received a recent comment/questions from Matt Gulde wondering if Christmas trees can be composted. I am known among friends as a earthy, composting fanatic. In fact, Sally helped me pack our stuff when we moved from Wheaton to Oak Park, and thought I was kidding when I told her we would be also packing our compost pile. You don't just leave behind a 2-year old compost pile just because you're moving...its just not done! I tested the strength of Sally's friendship when she shovelled my smelly pile of dirt (since I was gaggy and pregnant). You should have seen the look on the mover's faces when they peeked in the extremely heavy rubbermaid container of beautiful composted soil (with a few rotten fruits and vegetables to boot). Compost is wonderful, I was inspired initially by our friend and fellow compost fanatic, Ken Kraegel. It sure decreases garbage and eliminates any guilt from throwing away food that has gone bad. Anyway, the point of this is that I found another way that Christmas trees are utitilized (in a composting of sorts). Here is an excerpt from a weekly magazine we get, called the World...anglers, enjoy!

Out on a limb
Enterprising fishermen may want to look for the tinsel. For years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been collecting used Christmas trees to deposit in lakes without natural underwater vegetation. Now, some anglers are catching on. Little fish naturally congregate near the Christmas trees, making the area prime hunting ground for larger predatory fish like bass. Some fishermen are even getting permits to drop used Christmas trees at their favorite fishing spots: The conifers are better than hardwoods because the branches tend to break more easily when caught up on a line or lure.