Island Beach State Park Accepting Christmas Trees To Build Dunes

ISLAND BEACH STATE PARK, NJ — Christmas trees serve a purpose beyond the holidays. They can also aid the dune systems on beaches.

Island Beach State Park will collect recycled Christmas trees from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 4 in the A23 parking lot — 8.5 miles from the park.

Drop off your tree clear of lights and ornaments and neatly stack it in the southeast corner of the parking lot. Staff will assist onsite.

Using trees to build dunes provides certain benefits. Piles of sand are more likely to erode away. But putting sand over a Christmas tree gives the dunes a foundation. Then beaches typically fence in the dunes to keep pedestrians away and trap sand.

Here's an NPR video, posted by WHYY, explaining how it works:

For more information from Island Beach State Park, call 732-793-1315.

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