Those who decorated a live Christmas tree this year can recycle their trees now that the holiday season is over.

Residents of Christiana Borough can bring their trees to Lions Club Park, 325 N. Bridge St., Christiana, for mulching in the spring through Tuesday, Jan. 31. The service is for residents only, and no other yard waste will be accepted.

Christmas trees can also be put to good use in nature. Victoria Laubach, executive director of the Green Valleys Watershed Association based in northern Chester County, recommends that homeowners place their trees in the yard, where they can be used as a shelter for birds as well as an outdoor feeding station. "You can put (the tree) up outside and hang bird feeders from it," she said, noting that homeowners are reminded to remove all tinsel, ornaments and decorations from the tree before recycling it or placing it outdoors.

Items that can be placed on the tree include pinecones coated in peanut butter and then rolled in bird seed, as well as suet cakes, strings of popcorn and orange slices. These items can be replenished throughout the winter season.

Laubach said that tree branches can also be used to protect perennial gardens from "frost heaving," which is when plants lift up or "heave" from the soil due to fluctuations in temperature. "You can cut the branches and lay them on top of a perennial garden. It helps insulate the ground - like mulch - and keeps the perennials from heaving up out of the ground," she explained. "It's an old technique, and it is used for helping your perennial garden when the temperatures go from warm to freezing cold."

She said that shredded trees can be used as mulch for gardens or garden paths. "They don't generally make good firewood because they have a lot of sap and can spark a lot," Laubach noted.

However, according to the Arbor Day Foundation, evergreens can be burned outdoors and the remaining ash can be spread on gardens. Wood ash contains nutrients to help the soil and can keep insects away.

Another tip offered by the foundation is to submerge trees in local ponds or lakes found in area parks. With permission from the property owner or park officials, trees can become a haven for fish, protecting them from predators. Algae that grows on the trees underwater can also feed fish.

Further, the foundation suggests stripping needles from Christmas tree branches and storing them in small bags to use as air fresheners or sachets.

"All that work goes into growing the tree, and it has all these benefits. Just to see it go into the landfill is sad," Laubach added.