After the holiday season is over, those of you with real, live Christmas trees may be wondering what you can do with it besides just putting it out with the trash. Here are some great examples of how some cities are reusing their evergreens, why purchasing a live tree is the 'greener' choice, and some tips on recycling your tree.

According to the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) an estimated 500,000 acres of land in the U.S. is devoted to growing Christmas trees and from 30,000,000 to 35,000,000 of them are cut and sold each year during the holiday season. Luckily, many areas in North America are finding ways to recycle and reuse their trees to give back to the environment.

Many cities have established tree recycling programs, where people can drop off or have their trees picked up and then they're sent to be turned into mulch. The nutrient-rich mulch is then used in public parks and gardens for beautification projects, and is also available for use in peoples' individual yards. Some cities even use it for open space projects to prevent weed growth and soil erosion.

This article appears in Dec 23-29, 2009.