The trees are being reused by Linton Zoological Gardens as big cat toys, bio-fuel and, if they still have roots, to enrich the zoo's enclosures.
The manager said the scented trees are almost like catnip for the resident big cats like lions, tigers and snow leopards. Apparently, they just love the trees, and spend hours playing and rolling around on the pine-scented branches.
I've had experience with catnip. I grew several of the plants in my sheltered back courtyard several years ago. A (wild) house cat would visit every day. I'd often find broken fronds lying on the paving. In the end, I found one whole plant uprooted. The scent might have given the animal pleasure, but I decided not to continue growing that particular herb.
Many years ago, someone must have planted a cute little tree in their back yard in a garden close to us. Now, it's about 50 ft high and blocking off light to the surrounding area. Small gardens are no place for the giants of the pine family. Consider donating your annual tree to a zoo instead. What a great way to recycle the festive tree. I love to imagine big cats playing with the fragrant trees, rolling around and biting the fronds.
Go on. Make an animal happy and do your bit for the environment at the same time.