30 Uses For a Dead Tree

1. Leave it standing. If it's not a danger to people or structures on your property, of course. Let it be a home for birds, bugs and assorted critters.

Photo Credit: flickr/ell brown

2. Leave it standing and turn it into yard art -- hang colored bottles from the branches or string it with colored lights that change with the season.

Photo Credit: flickr/zen

3. Use planks for fencing.

Photo Credit: flickr/racineur

4. Build a big brush pile, which is a fantastic refuge for wildlife.

Photo Credit: flickr/esagor

5. Use it for garden mulch. You will need to hire a mulching machine or mulching service for this, however.

Photo Credit: flickr/beavela

6. Use it for firewood and/or kindling.

Photo Credit: flickr/Greg Robbins

7. Cut small sticks for garden markers.

Photo Credit: flickr/Christaface

8. Cut longer poles for garden stakes.

Photo Credit: flickr/traylorillo

9. Use logs or planks to edge garden beds or walkways.

Photo Credit: flickr/Gloomy Corp

10. Bury logs or planks along your fenceline to discourage escape-artist-dogs from digging out.

Photo Credit: flickr/benchilada

 11. Use logs or planks to construct a compost bin or enclosure.

Photo Credit: flickr/Bryan Alexander

12. Use cross section "slices" of the trunk as garden stepping stones. Sprinkle with sand or fine gravel to make them non-slip.

Photo Credit: flickr/RHiNO NEAL

13. Use small blocks to lift planter pots up off the ground, encouraging proper drainage.

Photo Credit: flickr/Monica Arellano-Ongpin

14. Trunk cross sections can be used as seed platforms for ground-feeding birds like Mourning Doves. Such simple platforms prevent spilled seeds from germinating in your garden bed or your lawn. Tip: drill holes to encourage rainwater drainage.

Photo Credit: flickr/TriggerHappyDave

15. Create a hanging feeder for fruit-loving birds like orioles. Put a nail through a cross section and hang it from a branch or pergola. For hanging, drill three holes around the outside edge of the wood and attach short lengths of chain. Hang the feeder so the nail points upwards, and impale apples or oranges on its point.

Photo Credit: flickr/Chiot's Run

16. In winter, smear peanut butter or softened suet around a small section of branch and hang it up from a length of wire, chain or rope.

Photo Credit: flickr/rocketlass

17. Make a birdbath. Using a hammer and chisel, hollow a shallow indentation into the stump or a big section of trunk. Let dry, then seal with a layer of concrete. Allow to cure before filling with water.

Photo Credit: flickr/Joel Abroad

18. Build a bird nesting box. Find appropriate dimensions before you start cutting.

Photo Credit: flickr/terriem

19. Build a charming, rough-hewn bench using a plank for the seat and branches for the legs. See my photo (above) for an example of what the finished product might look like.

Photo Credit: flickr/gliuoo

20. Build a swing seat for the garden or your patio.

Photo Credit: flickr/Travis Gray

21. Use the stump or large sections of trunk as rustic garden seats. Or clean them up, sand them very thoroughly, varnish them, and bring them indoors. Your very own stylish seats or coffee tables.

Photo Credit: flickr/rexhammock

22. Make a garden swing for your kids.

Photo Credit: flickr/Otto Phokus

23. Cut small shapes or letters to create a stamp set for your kids, to be used with an ink pad or paints.

Photo Credit: flickr/Carol Green

24. Cut small shapes or letters and glue small magnets to the reverse sides for a rustic fridge magnet set.

Photo Credit: flickr/Noah Sussman

25. Create an unusual privacy screen. Attach thin cross sections of trunk to a section of fencing wire or sturdy mesh. Think of them as giant polka dots. Paint them for extra pizazz or leave them naturally naked.

Photo Credit: flickr/aviruthia

26. Make a whimsical "face" using a cross section of trunk as the face, with small pieces of other tree or yard debris as facial features. For example, pinecones or pineneedles for hair, stones for eyes, etc.

Photo Credit: flickr/Richard Elzey

27. Cut star shapes and hang them from tree branches or your pergola. Add some lightweight pieces of pipe to turn them into wind chimes.

Photo Credit: flickr/Anke L

28. Create your very own work of sculpture, carved from the stump or a large section of the trunk.

Photo Credit: flickr/Stuart Gibson

29. Make an eye-catching plant container. Carve an indentation into the stump or a large section of trunk. Plant with easy-care annuals like pansies or impatiens. Take care not to overwater, unless you are able to drill drainage holes somewhere.

Photo Credit: flickr/Jenny Factor

30. Forget the carving and simply use the stump or a section of trunk as a rustic pedestal for a container of annuals.

Photo Credit: flickr/Gerg1967