Christmas Trees Help Fight Erosion

Video
Map

Enlarge Video

Download Video

Video RSS

Embed:

WKRG.com Related Resources

More –› Related Articles

Discuss this in the forum

By Jene' Young Meteorologist

M50o93H7pQ09L8X1t49cHY01Z5j4TT91fGfr Christmas Trees Help Fight Erosion

Published: Fri, December 28, 2007 - 5:24 pm
Last Updated: Friday, December 28, 2007 - 6:55 pm

Jene' Young

Christmas has come and gone, and now many of us are left with a dried up tree that needs a new home. Instead of throwing it out like trash, how about recycling your tree?
Jennifer Dixon is the Program Director for Coastal Wonders along the shores of Weeks Bay. She says, "This is an opportunity to really help our shoreline and really help the health of our Bay and of our water."
Last year, near Camp Beckwith, crews constructed a fence with, you guessed it, old Christmas Trees!
"The trees help to reduce some of the wave action that comes on shore as well as trap sediment. Both of which serve to help the juncus, or the grasses that we have planted here to really take hold.

A few years ago, there was a fence like the new one, but the trees were taken away by Hurricane Ivan. Then one year later, the fence was completely wiped out by Hurricane Katrina.
Buford King, Assistant Landfill Manager with Baldwin County Solid Waste also helps with the program. King says, "All the repair work that was done on this fence was used using recycled wood recovered from Magnolia Landfill following Hurricane Katrina."

If the tropics stay quiet for the next several years, allowing the new grass to grow, the brush fence will not be necessary. Until then, Christmas trees will be used to fill in the fence.
"We estimate roughly 3000 Christmas Trees were recovered last year. Of that number, all of them were placed in the brush fence. We would like to get at least that amount this year so we can replenish the south end structure."
Before you recycle your tree, make sure the lights, ornaments, tree stand, and tinsel are all removed.
The salt marsh grass that the Christmas Trees protect is also important for research. A scientist with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab is trying to get a better assessment on the quantity of toxins these grasses remove from story water runoff.

Here is a complete list on where to drop off your Christmas Tree:

Baldwin County: (December 27th- January 13th)
Magnolia Landfill
15140 County Road 49
Summerdale, AL 36580

Macbride Landfill
14200 County Road 64
Loxley, AL 36651

Eastfork Landfill
17971 CC Road
Elberta, AL 36530

Bay Minette Transfer Station
291 Nicholsville Road
Bay Minette, AL 36507

Residents may also place their Christmas trees in these designated roll-off containers:
Foley Satellite Courthouse
201 E. Section Ave
Foley, AL 36535

Fairhope Satellite Courthouse
1100 Fairhope Ave.
Fairhope, AL 36523

Bay Minette Intermediate School
600 Blackburn Ave.
Bay Minette, AL 36507

Perdido Beach Volunteer Fire Dept.
8450 Escambia Ave.
Perdido Beach, AL 36530

Spanish Fort Volunteer Fire Department
7580 Spanish Fort Blvd.
Spanish Fort, AL 36527
For more information on Baldwin County Christmas tree Recycling, call 251-972-6878.

Mobile County: (December 26th- January 6th)
Parkway Plaza - 2655 Dauphin Island Parkway
Food World - 2501 Government Street
Wildwood Place Food World - 4055 Cottage Hill Road
Azalea Center - Airport and Azalea Rd
Regency Center Bruno's - Airport and University
Westwood Plaza - Airport and Schillinger
Park Forest Center - Moffett at Forest Hill Drive
Clover Leaf Plaza - Tillman's Corner
Sears Essentials - 951 US Highway 43, Saraland
Christmas trees will be ground into mulch. Keep Mobile Beautiful will give the mulch away January 12, 2008 at the Greater Gulf States Fairgrounds.

Escambia County Florida:
The City of Pensacola designated three places where trees may be dropped off at any time through January 31, 2008:
• The vacant area adjacent to the Fire Station on Summit Boulevard
• On Maxwell Street under Interstate 110
• Bill Gregory Park on North "W" Street near Navy Boulevard (behind the softball field)
These sites are for customers of Sanitation Services of Pensacola only. For more information, please call 435-1890.
Emerald Coast Utilities Authority Customers can place Christmas trees at the curb on their normal yard trash collection days from December 26th through January 11th. Trees taller than six (6) feet should be cut in two pieces for collection.
In addition ECUA has designated the following three locations as drop-off sites:
• Sanitation Complex at 3050 Godwin Lane (just east of Pine Forest Rd)
• Blue Angel Parkway (1/2mile north of Lillian Hwy)
• Ellyson Park on Sturdevant Street
The Department of Solid Waste Management is accepting Christmas Trees free of charge at the Perdido Landfill and Oakgrove Citizen Convenience Center through January 31, 2008 under the following criteria:
1. The trees have to be natural (no artificial trees).
2. The trees have to be clean of all decorations including tinsel.
Any tree arriving at either County landfill sites not fitting the criteria, owners will be charged the minimum price of $7 until January 1, 2008. After the 1st, it will cost a minimum price of $8 through the end of the month.
Santa Rosa County: Through February 27th
In addition to the four Santa Rosa County recycling sites, residents can dispose of their live Christmas trees at Santa Rosa Clean Community System, Inc.’s Green-up Nursery located at 6758 Park Avenue in Milton. Please place trees at the designated areas identified by signs. Do not place trees in front of the recycling containers.

Christmas trees disposed at the five sites will be chipped into landscape mulch. The mulch will be offered free to the public after January 15 at the Green-up Nursery and the Santa Rosa County Southside Service Center’s recycling site located at 5841 Gulf Breeze Parkway. Residents should call the Green-up Nursery at (850) 623-1930 or the Santa Rosa County Recycling Department at (850) 623-9349 to confirm availability.

Christmas trees can be disposed at:

• Quintette Recycle Area at the Five Points Intersection
• Gulf Power recycle area on East Spencer Field Road
• Across from Pace Water Company on Woodbine Road
• Tiger Point recreation area in Gulf Breeze, east of Wal-Mart
• Santa Rosa Clean Community System, Inc.’s Green-up Nursery, 6758 Park Avenue

Street maps for the county recycling locations can be found at: http://www.santarosa.fl.gov/recycle/index.html

Okaloosa County:
Christmas trees will be picked up with usual curbside yard waste pick up.

News Map