Got Christmas Trees? Howell Farmer Says To Consider Goats

HOWELL, NJ — Municipalities traditionally collect fresh Christmas trees for recycling the week after New Year's Day and maybe for another week after that.

Dried-out trees are a serious fire hazard, the Howell Township Fire Bureau says. Nearly one-third of Christmas tree fires in U.S. homes occur in January, the bureau says. It urges people to remove trees from the home as soon as possible after the holidays.

It's easy and safe to dispose of the trees at your curb.

But if you still long to see your tree get another use, consider the goats.

Goats are known to enjoy nibbling at the evergreen trees, a local farmer says, and they are even good as a de-wormer for the animal.

Tali Peritore of Gathered Family Farms in Howell put out a Facebook call for trees and now she's "maxed out" on them, she said, so no need to leave her any more of them.

But she said it's still an idea to consider for those who live near a farm with goats. Just check with the farmer to see if they are needed.

JoAnn Burney of Allaire Community Farm in Wall agreed that goats do indeed eat discarded Christmas trees. "We had a tree company donate a bunch to the farm so we're good," she said.

Too much of a good thing can overwhelm a smaller farm so, again, make sure the farmer wants the trees, she advised.

Goats have proved helpful in many ways to control foliage. Sandy Hook a few years ago brought in goats to chew away at rampant poison ivy at Fort Hancock’s historic Battery there, for example.

Online, there are varying opinions about feeding commercially grown pine trees to goats.

They can eat them, and seem to enjoy them. Trees for Christmas need to be cleaned of tinsel, paint or ornaments, says the ecoRI site.

Other farm sites online point out that the use of pesticides on non-organic trees or trees grown specifically for Christmas may not be totally healthy for goats. The trees take several years to grow and are exposed to chemicals during that time.

So, trees for goats are an option, but check that a farm near you wants to accept them and wants to accept the type of tree you have. And there's always next year to plan ahead for a Christmas tree donation.