Christmas trees are being recycled as an unexpected natural hurricane barrier

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After the holidays are over in Louisiana, when the decorations are removed and the tinsel put away, thousands of recycled Christmas trees are dropped from the sky and onto the shores of the east New Orleans Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge.

The annual tradition helps to fortify the marshes and their inhabitants and provides the city with protection from storms and hurricanes by absorbing water and impeding waves. Erosion driven by wind and waves from the Mississippi River leaves residents at risk.

“The Christmas trees dampen the wave energy and allow settlements to fall out of the water. Once the settlements fall, it provides substrate for plants to take root,” Pon Dixson, the project leader for the refuge, said in a statement. “The trees are doing what they’re designed to do. The project is a benefit for everyone.”

When the trees are deposited in shallow marsh areas — wetlands filled with grass and other soft-stemmed plants — slow wave and water movement around the trees trap silt and encourages the growth of marsh grasses, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency partners with city offices and the state’s Army National Guard, which uses the drop as a training exercise.

Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge staff retrieve harnesses from the bundles of trees that are dropped. The refuge is the second largest urban wildlife refuge in the country (USFWS)

“It benefits the city of New Orleans and surrounding coastal environment while also providing valuable training hours for our pilots and crew members of the 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 244th Aviation Regiment,” the National Guard’s Chief Warrant Officer 4 Gabriel Ruiz, who is responsible for overseeing aerial operations for the Christmas Tree Drop, explained.

Louisiana National Guard members put Christmas trees on harnesses. The trees are bundled together using wire (Louisiana National Guard)

After the 4,000 to 6,000 trees are collected, they are stored in the refuge until their drop date. Tens of trees are bundled together using wire straps before a crew attaches harnesses. These are then connected to helicopters which are flown to the marsh. The trees are then dropped in shallow areas that are chosen in advance.

Following more than 25 years, the project has restored hundreds of acres within the refuge, which is important habitat for fish, crabs, shrimp, crawfish, and other species. It is the second largest urban wildlife refuge in the United States.

A Louisiana National Guard helicopter carries Christmas trees over the marshland. The marshland helps to protect Louisiana from storms (Louisiana National Guard)

“We are very lucky to be able to work with the Louisiana National Guard, and if it wasn’t for them, we would be manually doing this project,” Shelly Staies, the refuge manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said last year. “It’s a win-win for both of us because we get these trees put in, and they get to practice dropping sling loads.”