If you tend to leave your decorations up a little past Christmas, be especially careful where a live Christmas tree is involved.
“After 30 days of the tree being cut, you need to be looking to discard it,” Henderson Fire Chief Steve Cordell said. There have been no Christmas tree related fire calls this year in Henderson.
Cordell said, “We recommend 30 days. Most trees are already pushing over 30 days now by the time they’ve been harvested, purchased and put in the homes, and you know by now they can start drying out.”
This is especially true if you’ve already noticed your tree has significantly slowed in absorbing water.
The City of Henderson will collect Christmas trees with regular yard waste. The City’s web page says per ordinance that “yard debris must be free of trash and foreign matter, limbs and branches must be less than four feet in length and tree trunks must be less than 36 inches in height and width.”
Vance County residents wishing to dispose of a tree may use the County’s yard waste facility at the entrance of the old landfill on N.C. 39 North, which is just north of St. Andrews Church Road.
Make sure your tree is cleared of all decorations and lights.
If you find lights with damaged cords, throw those lights away so they won’t pose a risk in the future.