Yuletide Splash:

Recycled Christmas Trees Become Fish Homes

by Savannah Halleaux, US Forest Service

The Wayne National Forest in Ohio has a particularly creative Christmas tree tradition: recycling local communities’ live Christmas trees to build homes for fish.

“We’ve been doing this project for several years – at least as long as anyone who works here can remember” said Ashley Kuflewski, district biologist for the Ironton Ranger District on the Wayne National Forest. “We work with some great partners, and we couldn’t do it without their help.”

The trunks and branches of recycled trees add structure and complexity to the lakebed habitat in which small fish can feed and hide from predators. As the branches decompose, they grow beneficial algae that attract and feed zooplankton. The zooplankton and algae in turn feed mussels, snails, and crawfish that feed catfish and small baitfish. The small baitfish nourish and attract large gamefish for recreational and sustenance fishing for forest visitors.

This is one of the many Forest Service traditions for meaningfully repurposing Christmas trees. Ruby, the 78-foot-tall 2022 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, will become musical instruments such as guitars and banjos for donation to local communities. Sugar Bear, the 84-foot 2021 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree became serving trays and lumber for picnic tables. Others, like as with most municipal tree recycling programs, were turned into mulch to benefit the diverse flora of local urban landscapes.

To find resources for locally recycling or repurposing your Christmas tree, contact your local municipality to see if they offer a program. Other great resources for recycling trees are the National Christmas Tree Association and the Arbor Day Foundation.

Meet Damon Barron, owner of Carolina Urban Lumber and member of the NCUWG Advisory Council. Listen to his half-hour interview on the Woodpreneur Podcast.

A Certified Treecycle America business, Carolina Urban Lumber provides North Carolinians with a breadth of services: lumber, custom furniture, and services for saw milling, kiln drying and shop work. Most of Barron's lumber meets the five-star rating; meaning it has been properly dried to kill any residual bugs then provided two parallel faces.

NC Urban Wood Group

(984) 276-0072

urbanwoodnc@gmail.com

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NC Urban Wood Group Advisory Council

Leslie Moorman, NC Urban Forest Council

Loring McIntyre, NC Department of Ag & Consumer Services

Damon Barron, Carolina Urban Lumber

Avery Earwood, Wild Edge Woodcraft

Steve Larosiliere, Acres of Timber

Randall Williams, Fireside Farm & Sawmill

Barry New, NC Forest Service

Andrew Plenninger, NC Forest Service

Frederik Laleicke, NCSU Cooperative Extension

Harry Watt, NCSU Cooperative Extension