Recycle your Christmas tree with the Kentucky Dept. of Fish and Wildlife

If you're taking down a cut Christmas tree, there are locations where you can recycle that tree and help Kentucky's environment.

The Christmas tree recycling program, or "Christmas for the Fishes," is an annual program that provides a great way to recycle used evergreens and support underwater fish habitats.  The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife is collecting the donated trees over the next few weeks and use them to refurbish existing habitat sites and create new ones.  

From now through January 15, you can drop off your tree at three western Kentucky locations: at Paducah's Carson Park at the Joe Clifton Drive entrance; in Graves County at the USDA Service Center on Commonwealth Drive in Mayfield; and in Calloway County at the Western District fisheries office at 30 Scenic Acres Drive in Murray.

Trees should be real, not artificial, and should be free of lights, garland, and decorations. Limbs, wreaths, brush or other plants will not be accepted.

The trees will be submerged in lakes and reservoirs across Kentucky to provide places for fish to feed, shelter and spawn. Fish flourish in environments with diverse cover, including trees and logs. The donated trees will help restore woody structures in lakes that decay over time, providing protective cover and shade for a variety of fish species.

The locations where trees are installed generally become hot spots for fish species targeted by anglers.

These locations are recorded by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife staff, and the GPS coordinates are made available to anglers through the “Lakes with Fish Attractors” page on the department’s website.


(Photo KDFWR)