If you’re wondering what to do with your natural Christmas tree after the holiday season is over, you can donate it to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ Christmas for the Fishes tree recycling program to help improve the state’s fisheries.
Officials with the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife say they will be accepting evergreen trees at more than 30 drop-off locations across the commonwealth from December 26 through January 15. Trees should be real, not artificial, and should be free of lights, garland and decorations. Officials indicate limbs, wreaths, brush or other plants will not be accepted.
According to KFW officials, Christmas trees that are donated will be anchored to environmentally-friendly weights and submerged at various depths in different lakes and reservoirs across Kentucky to provide places for fish to feed, shelter, and spawn. Officials say they make great refuge and feeding habitat for game fish, as well as small fish and invertebrates that are crucial for a thriving ecosystem.
Officials note that locations where trees are installed generally become hot spots for fish species targeted by anglers such as bass, bluegill and crappie. These locations are marked with GPS coordinates and available through the “Lakes with Fish Attractors” page on the department’s website to help anglers.
For more information about the Christmas tree recycling program or to find a drop-off location, visit the department’s website at fw.ky.gov or call 1-800-858-1549.
