Photo by Erin

Now that your locally grown Christmas tree has served its purpose in su casa, how will it spend the rest of its days?

You can toss it in the trash to be collected and composted by the Department of Public Works until January 8. After that, DPW will collect greenery with trash as space permits.

Or you can donate your holiday shrub to the Department of Natural Resources. The department is accepting recycled Christmas trees to shade raptors in its Scales and Tails program at six Maryland parks, WTOP reported. The trees will give shade and enrichment to animals “that came into the program because they were wounded, and can’t be returned to the wild.”

Trees can be donated to Cunningham Falls State Park—about 60 miles from the city, or farther out at Assateague State Park, Deep Creek Lake State Park, Pocomoke River State Park, Rocky Gap State Park, and Tuckahoe State Park.