Christmas trees take on new life as fish habitat

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Christmas is over and many of you may be wondering what to do with your trees.

The Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife has a solution that benefits the environment.

Instead of putting your tree by the curb for the garbage man to pick up, your tree can become a fish habitat full of life.

Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife has multiple drop off locations across the commonwealth where you can drop off your tree and put it to good use.

Your Christmas tree will be combined with others to create fish habitats in local lakes.

The trees provide nesting and habitats for gamefish as well as creating habitats for invertebrates and smaller fish that provide food for larger fish.

Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Conservation Officer, Brad Bowles, said these trees positively affect the future of fishing in Kentucky.

“Fish are very structure oriented. They prefer to be around structure where they can ambush their prey. So, by reintroducing the Christmas trees into the lake, it gives those fish an area to spawn and for their fry to survive and places to ambush their prey. It actually provides habitats for the fish which helps the spawning for more fish to be produced, which in turn helps the anglers catch more fish,” Bowles said.

Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife officials ask that you remove all decorations and tinsel from your tree before dropping it off.

For residents in South Central Kentucky, you can drop off your tree at the Southwest District Fisheries Office at 970 Bennett Lane in Bowling Green or at the Barren River Lake Port Oliver Boat Ramp in Glasgow.

https://fw.ky.gov/Fish/Pages/Xmas_Tree_Recycling.aspx