Kevin Berkebile has a post-holiday tradition when it comes to his Christmas tree. He burns it in his backyard.
And not just his tree, but those of his family, friends, neighbors and fellow members of the Lyndeborough Fire Department, carrying on a tradition started by his uncle Norris Knowles of Wilton. For many years, Knowles would have a large burn party at his house on Forest Road. When Knowles passed away in 2012, there was a short hiatus in the annual family gathering, but when Berkebile bought his house in Lyndeborough in 2014, he brought back the tradition the following January.
“There was kind of a popular demand for it to come back,” he said.
Each January since, once everyone is ready to move on from their trees, Berkebile invites them over – with trees in tow – for a big bonfire as a way to decompress once the holiday stress has passed.
Just last year, Berkebile had a couple hundred pallets and about 60 Christmas trees he had collected, which led to a gigantic fire in his 8-foot by 8-foot pit that had no issue with keeping everyone nice and warm on a cold January evening.
“It brings a lot of old friends back together,” he said.
The annual burn is planned for Jan. 5, and with your help, it could be the biggest one yet.
In addition to those brought over by family and friends, who gather trees from others, Berkebile scours the streets of Wilton and Lyndeborough to collect any discarded trees he comes across. People have been known to leave their trees at the end of their driveways in hopes of someone hauling it away, and if Berkebile sees one, he’ll toss it in the back of his truck and add it to the collection.
“I work in Manchester, so I’ll often take different side roads on the way home and look for trees,” Berkebile said.
He even will hit up the Wilton Recycling Center for any trees they don’t chip.
For those living in Wilton and Lyndeborough, all you have to do is contact Berkebile and he’ll come pick it up. Those outside of that area are free to drop off their tree at his house and he’ll make sure to give it a proper send-off – which is always started with his own tree.
“The more the better,” he said. “People can drop them off anytime between the day after Christmas and Jan. 5.”
To contact Berkebile, email kberkebile50@gmail.com or send him a message on Facebook.
Berkebile isn’t the only one in the Wilton-Lyndeborough area looking to help get rid of unwanted Christmas trees.
The WLC National Honor Society is using tree collection as a fundraiser this January with two pick up dates, Jan. 5 and 19.
This is a new project for the school’s national honor society, and the idea just came up in conversation when discussing what to do for its January service to the community.
“If it goes well, it would be great if the upcoming seniors carry on the tradition,” said Emma Krug, a WLC senior and member of the national honor society.
With a handful of students who have trucks, the WLC students will spend those two Saturdays driving around the two towns to dispose of the trees of people who want an easy way to get rid of them. All they ask is that you give a little donation, which will be used for future efforts.
“Donations would be nice, but we really just want to help the community,” Krug said. “I’m hoping we get a good amount of people to sign up.”
There won’t be a schedule, but rather people will just need to have their trees outside early on the pickup date with the donation attached.
The process is simple: Just contact Krug via Facebook or by email at e.krug19@sau63.org, provide an address and which date you’d like your tree picked up.
Berkebile, who is the deputy fire chief in Lyndeborough, said if people are going to burn their trees themselves, it is probably best to do so outside. Christmas trees burn quickly, so not only would it provide very little benefit in a wood stove, but it could be a little tricky with how quickly it catches.
“It’s very eye-opening to see how quickly they go up,” Berkebile said. “It’s a matter of seconds.”
With Christmas being tomorrow and the real need of the tree about done, Berkebile said it’s important to keep on eye on your tree’s condition as time passes.
“If you walk by it and the needles are falling off, it’s about time to get it out of there,” he said.
At Paradise Farm in Lyndeborough, Wayne Colsia, had to pick the species of trees to sell based on what his animals wouldn’t eat. They eventually settled on blue and green spruces because the needles are too sharp for the Scottish Highlanders to eat.
They also have goats, which is a question that’s posed quite often as to whether or not it’s safe to feed a goat a Christmas tree. The answer is two-fold for Colsia. No. 1 is that you cannot feed pine trees to a pregnant female goat because it will cause a miscarriage. So if there’s any question, don’t feed them.
But if you or friends have goats and are totally for sure that there are not any pregnant females in the bunch, in small doses, a branch from a Christmas tree can provide some nutritional benefits. Although it should only be considered a snack and not replace its normal feed material. It can also be good for intestinal worm control.
Consider placing the tree at the edge of your property to create a winter shelter for birds and small animals. At this time of year, those creatures will take any kind of shelter they can get. And with cooler temperatures, it will stay green for the winter.
Spread an edible, sticky substance like peanut butter or shortening on small branches then dip them in birdseed. It creates a natural bird feeder that can be hung around your yard.
Cut the trunk of your Christmas tree into small logs, store them in a dry place, and They’ll be ready to burn next year. But if you don’t have a fireplace, gift the logs to someone who does.
Recycling centers will also accept trees, but just check with your local spot to learn about their policies.