After Christmas your tree's still useful in many ways

By Mitzi Shead

Herald-Tribune

Fort Scott, Kan. -- That lovely Christmas tree may be welcomed in your home now, but in the weeks after Christmas, trees of all shapes and sizes will be looking for a new home.

The city of Fort Scott offers a Christmas tree disposal program for the convenience of city residents.

The Public Works Department will be picking up Christmas trees discarded by city residents at no charge this year. The pick-up dates have been set for Jan. 6, 13, and 20, 2006.

Trees placed at the curbside, off the street, will be collected during a scheduled pick-up.

Just call Fort Scott City Hall at (620) 223-0550, with your name and address to schedule a pick-up.

The new home for the trees will include water structure properties. There, the discarded trees will be used to enhance fish and wildlife habitat.

Tony Fleeman, Fort Scott supervisor of traffic, parks, and lakes, said that by weighting the trees down before placing them in the lakes, they can make an actual structure form.

"It creates structure in the lakes. We attract bait and predator fish," Fleeman said.

Fleeman said that bass and crappie hide in the underwater trees.

They use them as protection as well as a place to get food.

The city works with Wildlife and Parks in this endeavor.

"We take a boat out with them," Fleeman said.

"This is how they place the trees where they want them."

Only certain kinds of trees are placed to create fish habitat.

"Most of what we put out is cedar trees. We normally don't put hardwood trees in," Fleeman said, explaining that Christmas trees are perfect for the lakes.

The other option for getting that tree out of the house could be the city tree dump. This is useful to those who live outside the city limits. The tree dump is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Bourbon County agriculture extension agent Delta George suggested using the retired Christmas trees to help the birds make it through the winter.

"There's a lot of people who will stake them out in their yard as a bird habitat and protection," she said.

The most important thing is that in disposing of a Christmas tree, it isn't just dumped by the road.

"Please dispose of them properly," county road supervisor Clyde Killion said.

County workers who have to keep ditches clear of debris, and adding the Christmas decorations to the mix makes life just that much harder for them.