Improvising: What can you do with that christmas tree

[Greg Davenport]

Note: Try to answer this before reading the responses of others.

You find yourself in a survival situation (reasons unknown). You have limited resources...yet you still have to meet your "five survival needs".

Following my (Greg Davenport's) three step approach to survival, you:

1. Stop and recognize the situation for what it is.

2. Recognize and prioritize your "five survival essentials" (listed below) in order of importance.

3. Improvise to meet your needs ("five essentials").

while going through the steps of improvising you inventory your manmade and natural materials. One of the things in this inventory is your now worthless christmas tree (for those of you who don't use them... try to answer anyway

). The tree has no electic lights on it but does have:

1. Ceramic and ornamental glass balls
2. Strings of popcorn and cranberry
3. Bows that have slim twist tie centers
4. A 10 inch angel at top
5. Christmas tree stand to hold it in place
6. A small tree skirt around the bottom
7. The once beautiful 8 foot tall fir tree ... is now dry and its needles are falling off.

Question:

List as many improvised items you can create for each of the "five survival essentials" and their sub-categories... Five survival essentials"

1. Personal Protection (clothing, shelter, fire)
2. Siganling (manmade and improvised)
3. Sustenance (water and food)
4. Travel (with and without a map and compass)
5. Health (psychological stress, environmental injuries, traumatic injuries)

Have fun with this and ... Good luck!

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Greg Davenport
Simply Survival's Wilderness Survival Forum
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[MichLee]

Well let see, the old brain is still a bit fuzzy this mornign , but here goes.

Starting with the tree itself,

1. Lots of dry conifer to make into tinder and kindling.

2. Take the trunk and split it into quarters carefully and you could make a walking stick, a fish spear and still have wood left over for a small fire.

3. Pine needle tea from the needles.

4. The limbs could be carefuly made into a shealter roof.

Ornamentation:

1. Wire hangers could make decent fish hooks, especially if two were twined together for strength.

2. The wire from the lights could be used for snares, holding together shelter poles and even a light fishing line or leader.

3. Angels hair could be twined or used as a fishing line.

4. Angels Clothing could be utilized for char cloth (if cotton). Or bandages.

5. glass ornaments and lightbulbs (if you can get strong edges) culd be used for fish scalers, or skinning edges.

6. Tree stand legs could be sharpened to make crude knife, draw knife, possibly a wedge.

7. Water base could be used for water collector and pot.

That is a quick list, I will give it some thoght and come back to add what I think of

.

 

[CAman]

1. Fire. Use needles for kindlin and trunk for fuel.

2. Fire drill.

3. Tent stakes.

4. Car tire wedge.

6. Chopping block.

7. Deadfall trap.

8. Water container if you hollow it out.

9. Club.

10. Post for shelter.

11. Use the ornaments for signaling if they are shiny. Also make a rescue sign.

12. Place ornaments on ground to serve as early warning when people snoop around.

13. Mallet.

14. Primitive bow and arrow.

15. Doorstop.

 

[J. J. Magnum]

My favorite thing to do with a used Christmas tree is to sink it in a lake/pond near the shore to provide cover for game fish such as bass and crappie. This is a standard practice around here event though the Corps of Engineers will fine you if they catch you doing it (there are no natural lakes in SC; only impoundments created by the power companies and managed by the COE).

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Where no law exists there still must be justice- Dan Mahoney

 

[HM]

Christmas tree:

Dry needles as tinder, branches as shelter and bedding, trunk as pole for shelter or tool.
If better wood is available trunk can be used to make tinder/kindling with high pitch content. If wood shredded it might be boiled to get pitch out.
Small tree skirt: what is that? If it is paper decoration it might serve as tinder.
Tree stand: hmmmmm, as a club?
10 inch angel: hold water if it is hollow plastic or similarly suitable.
Bows with slim twist tie centers: I do not know what these are but sounds like they would make nice weight for fishing line.
Strings of popcorn and cranberry: obvious food, bait for snare or fishing, string.
Ceramic and ornamental glass balls: broke up into spoon, scraping tools, sharp edge for cutting. Small shiny piece as fishing spoon but also good for signaling. Fill with oil for lantern, with water for storage.
Fire drill baseboard and drill might be shaped from different sections of the trunk.

Best to all,

HM