It can take a tree seven to 12 years to mature into a prized living room specimen. But when Christmas is over, it’s all about the schlep — the schlep to the curb, to the dump, to anyplace out of the house. The schlep begins when Christmas ends, and the sad, still parade of the once mighty sits slumped along miles of roadside. Is this any way to treat a tree?

Helmer Nature Center invites area residents to deliver their post-celebratory pines and former festive firs to an after-life in the woods. Starting on Dec. 26, the nature center will receive trees and recycle them into wood chips used to maintain the integrity of their well-traveled trails.

Trees for Trails runs from Saturday, Dec. 26, to Saturday, Jan. 16, at Helmer Nature Center, 154 Pinegrove Ave (naturally). Please remove all decorations before recycling trees. For more information, call 336-3035 or email an educator at [email protected].