From donating your natural, undecorated Christmas tree for dune restoration projects to dropping it off at a county convenience site to become mulch, there are options when it comes to disposing of a live tree after the holidays.
Fort Macon State Park has relied on natural Christmas trees to help stabilize its dunes since the mid-1960s. Unfortunately, donations have been lower in recent years, Park Ranger Benjamin Fleming said in an interview.
The state park on Bogue Banks in Carteret County is collecting trees again this year to help with dune stabilization until Feb. 15, but Fleming said they’ll continue to take the trees if they’re dropped off after.
“We really need the trees to help with erosion control. We are still trying to rebuild dunes we lost during Florence,” Fleming said about the 2018 hurricane.
Before dropping off the tree, Fleming said to remember to remove all ornaments and decorations. They find a few ornaments every year that were obviously important and special, like baby pictures, still left on the donated tree. He added that the park can’t use trees covered with silver plastic tinsel because the tinsel blows off the trees into the park or ocean, which makes the park look unkept and kills wildlife.
Businesses should contact the park office at 252-726-3775 before bringing large loads for donation.
At the other end of the Island in Emerald Isle, Surfrider Bogue Banks will be collecting live Christmas trees at the corner of Islander and Emerald drives in now through Feb. 3. The organization will use the undecorated, natural trees to build dunes at the Point, or the westernmost portion of the island.
Sea Scout Ship and Maritime Explorer Club 7730 will collect trees for a $10 donation and take it to the drop-off area in Emerald Isle. Sign up for pickup at www.seascouts7730.org.
On Feb. 4, Surfrider Bogue Banks will need volunteers to help haul and secure the trees on the beach. Email chair@boguebanks.surfrider.org to RSVP.
Not all beaches need trees though. In some cases, it can cause more harm than good.
Lindsay Addison, coastal biologist with Audubon North Carolina, told Coastal Review that a few years back, they found that people were leaving their old Christmas trees on Lea-Hutaff Island. In some cases, a large number were left.
“This was concerning because we had not asked for trees to be brought to the island and they were not wanted for the island. We removed the trees including some that had washed into the marsh and were smothering the marsh grass and others that were taking up space in a Wilson’s Plover and least tern nesting area. We’ve seen them scattered on other local islands as well, not part of a planned effort,” she said.
Lea-Hutaff Island is a 5,641-acre undeveloped barrier island and marsh system that has remained undisturbed by development, dredged sand and off-road vehicles north of Wilmington between Figure Eight Island and Topsail Island, according to Audubon.
Because Lea-Hutaff is an undeveloped barrier island, Audubon manages the site to be in as natural a state as possible, Addison explained.
“Barrier islands are supposed to move and change. When these natural movements threaten buildings on developed barrier islands, trees are sometimes placed there in the hopes that they will accelerate the regrowth of dunes. However, results are mixed,” Addison said.
Trees can just as easily become coastal or marine debris, even if they are staked down, the dunes they create aren’t always stable, and they can impede the growth of native dune vegetation. The trees also can impede nesting sea turtles or take up habitat that would otherwise be good for nesting birds, Addison said.
“Overall, they really don’t belong in a natural barrier island landscape,” she continued.
When the tree issue first came to Lea-Hutaff, Addison said they looked into pros and cons with the North Carolina Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review, and Coastal Area Management Act, or CAMA, rules.
“Based on that research, we concluded that unless a cost-effective alternative to sand fencing is needed, trees aren’t the way to go. We also learned that unless they are being placed in accordance with sand fencing regulations, they require their own permit from the state,” she said.
In 2021, Addison said Audubon decided to put out signs to keep the problem from repeating itself.
“We had some signs made and planned to put them out around Christmas. Last year was our first year of ‘No Trees, Please,’ and we had no trees left on Lea-Hutaff. We just put out the signs again for this holiday season and we hope we have the same results,” she said.
For people who really want to have their tree go toward dune stabilization, Addison suggested looking for a project organized by a town or agency and make sure they follow state rules.
“Definitely don’t bring your tree to any site that isn’t asking for them. Alternatively, trees make great backyard habitat,” Addison said. Placed in a backyard, they create habitat for wildlife like wrens and sparrows.
Addison also recommended taking the trees to towns or counties that have a mulching program. These programs are great because not all store-bought mulch is responsibly sourced, she said.
The state Division of Coastal Management officials said in a release Monday that rules state that Christmas trees for sand fencing must be placed as far inland as possible and should not obstruct existing public access to the beach, recreational use of the beach or emergency vehicle access. If sand fencing is present, there must be 7 feet separating the trees and sand fencing sections.
For example, trees should be installed at an angle no less than 45 degrees to the shoreline, no more than 10 feet seaward of the toe of the natural dune, and no less than 7 feet between trees, officials said.
Trees should not be installed in a manner that could impede, trap or otherwise endanger sea turtles, nests or hatchlings when the nesting season returns in a few months. Rows should be single tree width and not installed in conjunction with sand fencing. Trees should not be placed at the seaward toe of unvegetated beach berms, starter dunes, or on the open beach.
For more information, contact the Coastal Area Management Act permitting authority or appropriate Division of Coastal Management district office.
Boy Scout Troop 117 on the Outer Banks and Hammocks Beach State Park in Swansboro are not collecting trees this year.
For a full list of counties, visit CoastalReview.org
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