Recycling trees could boost local economy

After Christmas, when people are taking down their ornaments and packing them away, Christmas trees make their way from living rooms to the garbage heap. In recent years, people have realized the benefit to recycling these spruces and firs into compost material. But Christmas trees aren't the only timber being recycled these days. Many towns and cities are realizing the potential for urban tree recycling at other times during the year.

Many municipalities remove hundreds of trees from public and private land each year. Utility companies, construction personnel, and others also remove trees for various reasons. Some block power lines while others pose safety hazards. In most cases, these cut-down trees end up being sent to the landfill. Some logs are buried, ground up, or become a disposal problem. But what if the felled trees could be put to other uses that are bit more economically friendly and could help those in need earn a profit?

That's just what of Hammond, Indiana's Lake County Solid Waste Management District Executive Director Jeff Langbehn was thinking when he approached a local sawmill to see if the downed trees could be put to another use. In 1997, the city started a program called "Trees to Furniture." Downed trees were taken to the Hoosier sawmill, which used 70 percent of the material for compensation. The remaining thirty percent was turned into city structures, such as picnic tables, garden sheds and park benches. Not only did the city save on disposal expenses, it saved on purchasing materials for replacement picnic tables and other public area furniture since the "garbage" trees were being recycled into these items.

The concept has since spread beyond Indiana. Many other states have adopted their own similar tree recycling programs. Some are municipal-run programs. Others are spearheaded business-savvy individuals who see a way to profit on waste wood.

The organization Harvesting Urban Timber (HUT) has a Web site that connects people looking for more information on recycling timber. Those with portable sawmills or people with trees can collaborate to find out how to turn waste wood into valuable lumber for business or hobbyists. For more information, visit www.harvestingurbantimber.com. A book titled "Harvesting Urban Timber," by Sam Sherrill is also available.