- 1). Tie all of the branches up together into a slender bundle with twine without breaking them. You want the tree to be as compact as possible to make it easier to insulate.
- 2). Wrap the entire tree, including the bundled branches, in newspaper which you should tape together so that it stays on. Also coat the ground around the roots with newspaper.
- 3). Nail the wooden slats to a strip of chicken wire of the same width as the slats are tall, then curve it in on itself in order to create a cylinder that will fit around the entire tree, leaving room inside to insulate. The wood should face outward, with the wire on the inside. You'll need enough wood and wire to create a series of stacked cylinders which reaches above the top of the branches. Some people prune the branches of their trees before winter so that they don't have to build so high.
- 4). Slide the cylinder over the tree and fill with straw.
- 5). Build another cylinder, slide it over the tree and wire or tie it to the one below, then fill with straw.
- 6). Repeat steps 3, 4 and 5 until the tree is completely enclosed from top to bottom and you can't see any branches poking out the top of your tower of cylinders.
- 7). Make a lid to cover the open top cylinder out of a flat piece of wood or a simple plastic bucket. Nail it in place, making sure that it's not touching the branches below.
- 8). Wrap the cylinders in more newspaper and staple to the wood.
- 9). Wrap the cylinders in a couple of layers of burlap, which can also be stapled on.
- 10
Wrap the cylinders in black plastic and tape it on. - 11
Cover the top with a plastic bag. - 12
Drive some poles into the ground surrounding the cylinders and tie them around with string to stabilize the whole assembly against gusts of wind.
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