Looking for tree-mendous Christmas inspiration? 

By Alister, Justine, Kaye, and Hilary

Did  you see the Hull Friends of the Earth’s Sustainabilitree at the Lord Mayor’s fabulous Festival of Christmas Trees on show at Hull Minster?  If so, you might have noticed it is just a little bit different … well all right, quite a lot different!

In December 2023, we created a sustainable, recyclable, compostable Christmas tree, no part of which ended up in landfill on 6 January. More than that, the ‘tree’ itself is a metaphor for our human impact on the natural world and the fact that we still have choices, if we take them.

About the Sustainabilitree

We chose coppiced hazel for our tree, not only to show the rapid impact we humans can have on nature, but also the fact that it does not have to be permanent. The selected tree was scheduled for coppicing in the YWT Pearson Park office grounds. It will regrow.

Given how mild it has been this year, the leaves on the hazel had been well retained, but in the warm Minster they rapidly dried out and started to die. A spruce does not show this change so quickly, so even though it is a dead tree, we don’t experience the same sense of loss. Instead, we’ve enjoyed its brief presence with little thought for its origins or the void it has left.

Our Sustainabilitree stands to demonstrate this loss and make us think about where it came from and the space it left, while understanding that it comes from living stock that will regrow and potentially become stronger.

How many Friends of the Earth does it take to make a tree?

It’s the question you’ve all been asking. And the answer is five.  Those of us old enough to remember finally experienced our own Krypton Factor as we grappled with some very tall, extremely bendy branches, trying to make them stand up in a way that passed stringent health and safety as well as heritage concerns. You know the kind of thing:

           Watch out - it’ll have your eye!

           Woah! Stand back it’s going over!

           Mind the flags – they’re ancient!

           Don’t let it touch the walls – it’ll stain!

And all this without tying anything to the furniture.

After a lot of head-scratching and ineffective stuffing into an ill-equipped tree stand – actually there wasn’t any head scratching because we ladies don’t do that sort of thing, at least not in public – a distant memory of childhood adventures precipitated a light-bulb moment.

First, we headed to Trinity Market to beg or borrow a saw, but when the only tool on offer was a dodgy-looking hacksaw with few teeth, described by its owner as ‘useless’, we gave up and went to Boyes.

Who knew there were so many types? Fret, coping, rip-cut, back, pruning, wallboard… Non-plussed and way beyond our comfort zone, we went for a small saw that looked strong enough yet manageable – a tenon saw - and a steal at £4.75. You’re welcome, Boyes.

Back at the Minster, we cut the hazel to a safer size and, using the rope we’d been left, made a wigwam out of the branches. This gave us a Christmas tree shape as well ensuring a stable structure.

Finally we could set about what we’d all gone along to do: adorn the branches and twigs with a variety of dazzling decs, from train-ticket paper chains and old-magazine stars to garlands made of dried oranges and popcorn. We think you’ll agree the result is stunning!