Jan 6, 2021 4 min read

ELDERSVILLE – People looking to get rid of their live Christmas trees in an environmentally friendly way can help to feed the animals at a farm in Washington County.

Birch Creek Farmery in Jefferson Township is accepting the trees to feed its heritage breeds of goats, sheep, pigs and cattle, while also organizing pickups in Pittsburgh and Washington for a small fee.

Teddi Maslowski, a fourth-generation farmer who owns and manages the 250-acre farm near Eldersville, came up with the idea as a way for people to dispose of their old trees and help the environment at the same time.

“The farm is kind of based around sustainable farming. Producing meat is very taxing on the environment,” she said. “An extension of (sustainable farming) is this Christmas tree project. Pine trees are full of micronutrients, which (the animals) often don’t get. They can pick the needles.”

The response has been overwhelming after Maslowski announced the initiative on the farm’s various social media pages Sunday. Since then, there’s already a pile of trees by the barn that nearby residents have dropped off, along with more than 200 people emailing the farm offering to donate their trees for pickup.

Maslowski and her family are traveling to Pittsburgh with a hauler on Sunday to pick up trees for a $5 fee, and are planning a similar pickup in Washington on Jan. 16. Maslowski said her family has let their animals chow down on their old Christmas trees for years, although this is the first time they’ve done such a massive pickup for the community.

“We threw our Christmas tree out there and the goats went wild for it,” she said.

Maslowski, 27, is now running the land that her parents, Anita and Ted, owned and operated for years. Her mother’s side raised dairy cows and beef cattle on the farm, while her father trained race horses nearby. They’re hoping to eventually expand the farm to 1,000 acres and continue to raise heritage breeds, such as Berkshire pigs.

Maslowski studied pre-med at Duke University and then was a professional runner in the state of California while also studying environmental management through an online program, which piqued her interest in running a sustainable farm. The 2011 graduate of Catholic Central High School in Steubenville returned home to take over managing the farm that has now been in her family for 99 years.

“Raising animals ethically that are premium quality and very clean meat makes a small impact on the commercial market, but it’s something I believe in,” she said. “Also keeping a family farm alive is super difficult. It’s been amazing how much it’s taken off since I started.”

The Christmas tree donation project is just another way to sustain the farm and help the environment. Maslowski said they plan to donate excess trees to nearby farms that also want to use them to feed their animals.

“We may encompass other farms that need them as well,” she said. “We’re definitely not going to hoard them.”

Christmas trees can be dropped off for free at the farm at 400 State Line Road in Jefferson Township, or people can schedule a pickup in Pittsburgh or Washington for $5 by emailing the farm at birchcreekfarmery@gmail.com. People who are donating their trees are asked to make sure there are no ornaments or other decorations on them, along with any fire retardant sprays.

“We’re being really careful with that and going over every tree,” Maslowski said. “But the animals are fairly intelligent about what they leave behind … and won’t eat what is toxic for them.”

Those interested in ordering meat from the farm can go online to www.birchcreekfarmery.com.