{"id":36747,"date":"2022-12-16T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-16T18:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/baa-humbug-dreading-post-christmas-tree-removal-durangoats-can-help\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:33:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:33:30","slug":"baa-humbug-dreading-post-christmas-tree-removal-durangoats-can-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/baa-humbug-dreading-post-christmas-tree-removal-durangoats-can-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Baa-humbug: Dreading post-Christmas tree removal? Durangoats can help"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Adrian
Adrian Lacasse and Jonathan Bartley, owners of Durangoats, are offering a Christmas tree removal and disposal service for $20 per tree. The trees will be fed to the business partners\u2019 14 goats they use for weed and fire mitigation in the warmer seasons in the greater Durango area. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

It\u2019s easy to procrastinate disposing of the family Christmas tree, but if you can get it to your doorstep, Durangoats owners and their titular livestock can take care of the rest.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Bartley, co-founder of Durangoats, a weed and fire mitigation business that uses goats to clear unwanted vegetation and fire fuels, said he and his business partner Adrian Lacasse are providing a cheap and eco-friendly Christmas tree removal service in the greater Durango area this winter.<\/p>\n

For $20 per tree removal, the Durangoats crew will come to a property, load up a tree or trees and take them to their 14 goats, which rely mostly on hay during the winter when their spring and summer snacks are out of season, he said.<\/p>\n

Popular Christmas tree species such as spruces, firs and pines are a nice addition to the goats\u2019 diets. The tree removal service also helps Durangoats afford hay for the rest of the winter, Bartley said. And in the grander scheme of things, letting goats feast on discarded trees is a more efficient way of disposing of live seasonal decorations.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically, we\u2019re trying to make a full circle regenerative agriculture solution to utilizing Christmas trees,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause some people still do that as part of their tradition and we have interest in trying to find a better solution than it (a Christmas tree) possibly just going to a dump.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Adrian
Adrian Lacasse, left, and Jonathan Bartley, owners of Durangoats, said Christmas trees will make for a nice supplement to their goats\u2019 winter hay diets this January. They are offering a tree-removal service after Christmas to subsidize the hay they purchase when their goats are wintering. In warmer weather, the goats are taken to properties to graze on weeds and fire fuels, for a cost. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

He said even Christmas trees can have a role in \u201cregenerating the Southwest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lacasse said that after the goats have had their fill of leaves, branches and bark, he and Bartley will run the remaining wood through a chipper and compost what comes out. They plan to use the compost on later soil regeneration projects aimed at thinning weeds and promoting healthy plant growth.<\/p>\n

He said the history of land management in post-colonialism America includes a lot of degradation of the land and soil and he helped launch Durangoats because he is inspired to help build back up healthy soil.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to replace chemical sprays and set local ecosystems back on course to having healthy soil so in the future that can be a better food source for everybody, humans and wild animals,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd, goats look cute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christmas trees typically have rough stumps and prickly needles, but that\u2019s not much of a problem for goats, Bartley said. Their jaws make lateral motions when they chew, pulverizing whatever they\u2019re feeding on.<\/p>\n

And goats have four stomachs, the first of which is called a rumen. It\u2019s like a biological fermentation vat full of bacteria that help the goat break down its meals, Lacasse said.<\/p>\n

Bartley said domestic goats have five basic needs, which are exaggerated when they are wintering: Shelter, food, water, a salt lick and a mineral feeder.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mineral feeder supplements their diet in a lot of ways, but there\u2019s definitely something to be said about chewing on bark,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a natural process. \u2026 If you give your dog a fresh bone it\u2019s going to clean (its) teeth. It\u2019s almost like they are brushing their teeth in a healthy way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goat protection<\/div>\n

Durangoats often operates in rural areas and the goats themselves are vulnerable to natural predators of Southwest Colorado, including bears but primarily mountain lions. That\u2019s where the guard dogs come in.<\/p>\n

Bartley and Lacasse have two komondors to keep watch over their goat herd. Bartley said mountain lions are the top concern for rural projects that require the goats to stay overnight. If a mountain lion attack occurs, it\u2019s time to up the security or move on to a new site because once the lions discover vulnerable prey they will come back the following nights.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s free feeding, so they\u2019ll be right back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The komondors are still puppies, but by the time they reach adult size, they will have armor-like dreaded fur that protects them from gnashing teeth and striking claws.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese two guys will fight off a mountain lion, which is pretty wild,\u201d he said. \u201cOther than that, what they do is they lay low, they hang out, they conserve their energy. Whenever they need to, they expend it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pups are friendly toward humans \u2013 at least while Bartley and Lacasse are around \u2013 but they don\u2019t take kindly to other dogs. Lacasse said they will even snarl at free-roaming chickens that occasionally pass by the goat herd\u2019s home pen.<\/p>\n

Looking forward<\/div>\n

Bartley said he hopes to expand the Durangoats herd to around 30 goats in 2023. And the thought of offering goat yoga and petting zoo opportunities someday has crossed his mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking into other breeders in the area,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen goats breed they generally have two babies, and so even a small dairy has a chance in lending a hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Durangoats essentially acts as a goat rescue for male dairy goats because they don\u2019t have a place in society otherwise.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sad truth is that often \u2026 dairies will sometimes just put them in a tub at birth because it\u2019s just added work (to care for them). Which is sad, you know? That they don\u2019t even get to see that first year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But Durangoats\u2019 goats are in it \u201cfor the long haul,\u201d Bartley said.<\/p>\n

They can be considered retired and having the time of their lives, he said. Now, they are treated to \u201cbuffet breakfast, lunch and dinner\u201d every time Durangoats is recruited for weed mitigation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe bring them to the best food every single day. Them eating hay, which can be standard for some livestock, is just only when we absolutely have to because there\u2019s nothing else alive (to eat),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Bartley said anyone interested in Durangoats\u2019 Christmas tree removal and disposal service can text (617) 510-4896 or email jonmbartley@gmail.com<\/a>, including one\u2019s name, phone number and address. He suggested also writing \u201cMerry Goatmas!\u201d<\/p>\n

He said one can also follow Durangoats on Instagram at \u201cdurangoatsllc.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bartley or Lacasse will reach out to contacts after Christmas. They said they reserve the right to refuse service if someone\u2019s property is too far from the greater Durango area. They will likely service locations such as Bayfield but want to be efficient with time and gas, and will strategize trips to hit the most properties in the same area that they can.<\/p>\n

cburney@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

spruces, firs and pines have a role in regenerating the Southwest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[382,431,364,950,1030,28,475,2678],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-36747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-animal","tag-business-general","tag-community","tag-durango","tag-environment","tag-headlines","tag-la-plata-county-colorado","tag-religious-festival-or-holiday"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36747"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83439,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36747\/revisions\/83439"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36747"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=36747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}