Now that the holidays are over, it's time to take down the Christmas tree, but instead of dragging it out to the curb, you can recycle it to help local wildlife.
It can be as easy as tossing your tree in your backyard near a fence to give them extra protection from the wind.
"Some of your smaller visitors like rabbits and squirrels could hide in there during a strong and tough winter storm," said Meghan Carter with Audubon Dakota.
You can also use your tree as a natural bird feeder, since it can be hard for them to find food this time of year.
"Our birds that stay all winter long across the Dakotas, it creates a food source for them to get them through the tough winters that we have," said Carter.
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All you need is some fruit, birdseed and fishing line. Cut an orange in half, carve the two halves out, thread some string through and tie it at the top. Then fill it with birdseed, or you can simply cut an apple into slices, thread some string through, and you have easy bird feed ornaments for your tree.
If you decide to do this, Carter says you need to keep the food coming.
"If you just take away that food source then they're either going to have to find a new one or will have a tough winter without that," she added.
It's a small home project that can help the wildlife in the metro and give you an excuse to keep the Christmas tree up all winter long.
There are more than 300 species of birds in North Dakota, according to North Dakota Game and Fish.
