Donate Used Christmas Trees for Wildlife Habitat

This is a great idea. I don't know of anyone else doing this, but the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests will be collecting used Christmas trees from December 27 through January 9th. They will only accept clean trees; trees containing sprays, paints, tinsel and other decorative materials are not safe for animals or the environment. You can deliver the trees to the James River Work Center, Dolly Ann Depot on Smokey Bear Lane in Covington, Va from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Simply follow the arrows to the drop off point. The trees will be added to existing brush piles for small non-game species.

“Over the past 12 years, hundreds of Christmas trees were turned into wildlife habitat” said District Ranger Pat Sheridan. “Recycling trees saves valuable space in landfills and keeps pollutants out of the air by eliminating the need to burn discarded trees.” For additional information contact the James River Ranger District at (540) 962-2214.

I'm not aware of Cherokee, or Pisgah, or any other national forests conducting similar programs. If not, this is something others should look at for future policy.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com