By John Kriz
Planet New Canaan’s annual Tree*Cycle project – the gathering and chipping of post-season Christmas trees – is now over, with nearly a thousand trees having been brought to the Steve Benko Pool parking lot, where New Canaan’s Department of Public Works will chip them, with the wood chips ending up on local nature trails. Some of the trees will be used as anti-erosion tools along local riverbanks, further helping the ecosystem.
Financial support from the New Canaan Exchange Club, which operates the annual charity Christmas tree and wreath sales lot at Kiwanis Park, as well as ‘heavy lifting’ by the many volunteers from the Service League of Boys (SLOBs) and the Town’s chipping services, continue to be integral to the success of this environmental effort.
Keeping Christmas trees out of landfills, and gently returning them to the Earth, is a big environmental plus, and brings cost savings to the Town. Landfilled trees, and other plant and animal matter, create methane — a particularly bad greenhouse gas — as they very slowly decompose.
“We are so pleased that Planet New Canaan can continue to partner with the Town, the Exchange Club and SLOBS on this important environmental initiative,” said Planet New Canaan’s co-president Margo Bright. “The quantity of trees collected continues to increase each year, as residents come to understand the positive impact this has on our community.”
