JoAnn Echtler's feeds her four goats with a leftover Christmas tree branch in Valencia on Wednesday. Steven Dalton/Special to the Eagle

Pine trees cut down to be placed in homes as Christmas trees can still be useful after the holiday is over — just ask JoAnn Echtler, of Middlesex Township, and her goats.

For the past few years, Echtler has accepted used Christmas trees at her farm. She uses them for feed for her goats and chickens.

Echtler said she is likely just one of many goat owners in the area who use felled plants as animal feed. She said the needles from a pine tree can actually help fight bacteria.

“The chickens and goats eat the needles and it helps protect against disease,” Echtler said. “We separate trees people cut down themselves from the ones people bought at a store, which are sprayed with preservatives. We throw those in the pond; they make really good habitat for the fish.”

Echtler said she began taking in old Christmas trees four years ago, when a real estate client asked if she would like one to feed to her goats and chickens. She began taking requests for trees and got 90 last year, but she brought her limit down to about 60 this year.

Echtler already promised tree pickups to about 60 people, so she is not taking in any more. However, there are several other ways to recycle Christmas trees in the county, according to the Butler County Department of Recycling & Waste Management.

According to the department, trees can be used to create brush piles that provide resting areas and escape locations for birds and small animals. Additionally, some owners of private ponds may want to sink trees to make a feeding area for fish.

The department also listed three sites where people can take Christmas trees to be recycled, while some communities offer curbside pickup. The drop off sites include the Seneca Landfill Compost Site, the leaf collection site behind the Penn Township Fire Department and Slippery Rock Community Park. The trees have to be cleared of all decorations and any plastic bags to be deposited into the sites, the department said.

Goats Pip and Layla stand at the entrance to the barn as it rains outside in Middlesex Township on Wednesday. Steven Dalton/Special to the Eagle

Denton Zeronas, director of Slippery Rock Parks and Recreation, said trees can be repurposed when dropped off at Slippery Rock Community Park.

“We typically have an area in between our entry parking lot and tree line where individuals come in and drop them off,” Zeronas said. “We'll usually average from three to 10. It's mostly just there as an option.”

Trees will be accepted at Seneca Valley during normal landfill operating hours through Jan. 31 for a $5 fee; until Jan. 13 in Penn Township; and until Jan. 15 at Slippery Rock Community Park. For more information, call the Butler County Department of Recycling & Waste Management at 724-284-5305.