Parishes finding use for discarded Christmas trees

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 6, 1999

By STACEY PLAISANCE / L’Observateur / January 6, 1999

Before throwing out those Christmas trees that have begun to shed their needles on the living room floor, River Parishes residents are being encouraged to donate their trees for various worthwhile causes.

Christmas trees are now being collected in and around the River Parishes for beautification and landscaping projects and to aid in the prevention of coastal erosion of Louisiana’s wetlands.

According to Adrienne Labat with the St. John the Baptist Parish publicworks department, Christmas trees collected this holiday season will be chipped and used in a landscaping project at the Reserve boat launch. Thechipped trees will serve as a surfacing material for traffic flow directionals at the launch, Labat said.

“Every year we collect Christmas trees and use them where they are needed,” she explained. “This year they are being used at the launch, andwe plan to have trees and shrubbery grow in the directionals where the chippings are placed.”In recent years, the parish public works department has participated in various landscaping and beautification projects involving Christmas trees and also several erosion prevention efforts, Labat added.

“The trees are going to help, and the boat launch will be a nicer area when we’re done,” she said. “If we miss anyone’s Christmas tree, they can callus to come pick it us. We just ask that the stand is off the tree beforeputting it out for pick-up.”Earl Matherne, administrator for the St. Charles Parish Coastal ZoneManagement Section, is using the Christmas trees for coastal restoration efforts in the LaBranch wetlands. The trees will serve as wave barriersand assist in building up the land by slowing water flow and erosion, Matherne said.

The St. Charles Zone Management Section has been involved in coastalrestoration using Christmas trees since 1987, and Matherne said they were the first to initiate such efforts in Louisiana.

Matherne said that more than five acres of land has been established above the water and is now vegetated wetland due to this project.

“We’re happy with the outcome and plan to continue doing this for years to come,” Matherne said.

Trees are now being collected at the bridge parks on both the east and west banks in St. Charles Parish for the LaBranch wetland restorationproject, and trees will be picked up curbside from Jan. 14-16.The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is also advising Jefferson Parish residents to place their trees out on the curb today for collection Jan. 7-9.Before placing any Christmas trees curbside for pick-up, the trees should be free of lights, flocking and tinsel. The trees should not be placed inplastic bags.

Because of wave action from Lake Salvador on the western boundary of Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Jefferson and St. Charles ParishSchool Board properties, trees are needed to prevent further erosion in these areas.

The project involves the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service. Christmastrees will be used to restore an area which once formed a natural breakwater between Lake Salvador and the Bayou Segnette waterway.

Trees will be placed inside a pen on top of an already existing structure that has subsided beneath the surface of the water and no longer serves as a barrier.

“This type of project is a great way to get people involved in hands-on coastal restoration,” said Glenn Thomas, Louisiana department of wildlife and fisheries marine fisheries division program manager. “The fact thatmost of the materials involved are being recycled makes it even more appealing.”Because this is a labor intensive project, hundreds of volunteers are needed to bundle trees, which will be airlifted by the Louisiana Army National Guard into pre-constructed cribs. This activity does require somestrength and is open to individuals age 15 or older.

Scheduled work dates for tree bundling are Jan. 16, 23, 30 and Feb. 20.Alternative dates are Jan. 17, 24, 31 and Feb. 21 in case of bad weather.Volunteers and shallow drafts are needed for the second phase of the project, in which loose trees will be taken from barges to small boats and transported to shoreline cribs.

The scheduled day for placing the trees in the marsh is March 6. In case ofbad weather, March 7 will serve as the alternate date.

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