The tree of Christmas past

Christmas is over. Your Christmas tree, once fresh, beautiful and fragrant, is looking a bit parched. Actually, it looks like it’s just dying to set your house afire. It’s clearly time to put the tree to bed—but throwing it to the curb just sounds so environmentally unfriendly. Be of good cheer: The Christmas Tree Recycling campaign will be accepting trees through Jan. 6. "The program preserves landfill space, cuts down on illegal dumping and contributes to cleaner air," says Wes Reid, executive director of Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful. "The tree chips are used in local park, river and open space projects." Drop-off centers are located at Bartley Ranch Regional Park, 6000 Bartley Ranch Road; Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, 1502 Washington St.; and Shadow Mountain Sports Complex, 3300 Sparks Blvd. in Sparks. Centers are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; a donation of $2 per tree is requested. Call 851-5185.