So Christmas is over, and your real tree is not looking so festive anymore.
What could you do with it to help the environment?
Instead of putting it on the curb, The Nature Conservancy of Canada urges you to give it a second life by leaving it in your backyard.
Senior Biologist with the conservation organization, Dan Kraus said you could consider it your Christmas gift to the critters and the soil in your yard.
"Evergreens offer a safe place for birds to rest while they visit your feeder," he suggested. "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."
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It can go anywhere in your backyard, said Kraus. Prop it up against another tree, against a fence, or lay it in your garden.
If you don't have a bird feeder, you can even decorate it with pine cones filled with peanut butter, strings of peanuts, and suet.
By spring, the tree will have lost most of its needles, so cut the branches and lay them where spring flowers are starting to emerge. The branches will hold moisture and help build up the soil, much like dead branches do naturally in a forest.
© Can Stock Photo / sweetcrisis
Toads also seek shelter under logs, and insects like carpenter bees will burrow into the wood.
"By fall, the branches and truck will begin to decompose and turn into soil," said Kraus. "Many of our Christmas trees, particularly spruce and balsam fir, have low rot resistance and break down quickly when exposed to the elements."
He also suggested drilling holes in the tree truck will speed up the decomposition process.
If you live in an apartment, or can not stand the sight of a dead tree rotting in your yard, the Nature Conservancy of Canada pointed out many municipalities have drop-off sites where trees can be chipped up and composted or used as trail bedding.
Other communities use old Christmas trees on shores to prevent coastal erosion, while some pulp and paper companies collect them to burn for a fuel source.