If you still have a live Christmas tree and want to recycle it, there are three state parks in southwest Virginia that accept them.
Hungry Mother State Park, near Marion is one of them. They use the trees to restore the bottom of their lake for fish habitat, as a way to help smaller fish and other animals find shelter and escape predators.
“And it’s been huge success,” park manager Kevin McDonald explained. “I mean the trees themselves provide great shelter.”
They partner with the Department of Wildlife Resources and students at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, who travel to Virginia during their spring break in March to help move the trees into the lake.
Hungry Mother accepts trees until February, at the boat ramp off Mitchell Valley Road. Other parks that accept trees are Claytor Lake in Pulaski County and Fairy Stone in Patrick County. They accept trees until January 14th and 16th.
If you can’t get to one of these parks, McDonald said there are other ways to recycle your tree. You can mulch it, or, if you have a large enough yard and don’t mind the look of an old tree, old trees can attract songbirds, McDonald said.
“If you put it in, maybe like a wilder corner of your yard or something like that. The tree will provide shelter for birds.”
If you plan to do this, however, McDonald advised checking where you bought your tree. If the tree traveled from out of state, or if you aren’t sure, it’s probably best to throw it away, because it could bring invasive insects onto your property.
