Thurmond Lake to recycle used Christmas trees

USACE, Savannah District
Published Dec. 20, 2019

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers at the J. Strom Thurmond Project will accept real Christmas trees for recycling Dec. 20 through Jan. 8, 2020. Artificial trees will not be accepted.

The Christmas trees can be dropped off at Riverside Middle School, located in Evans, Georgia. All decorations – tinsel, lights, garland, bulbs, etc. – must be removed from the trees before dropping them off. Dumping of wireframe wreaths, yard debris and household trash at the site is strictly prohibited.

The recycled trees will be used as fish attractors in Thurmond Lake. Corps forest, fish, and wildlife section rangers and volunteers will place submerged trees around fishing piers and deep-water attractors to improve fish habitat.

“The trees create shelter and food for a wide array of fish,” Evan Brashier, a conservation biologist for the Corps of Engineers, said. “All fish species relate to some type of structure whether it is a stump, rocks or other things. Over just one summer, algae begin to grow on the branches which attract invertebrates, which attract smaller sunfish and minnows...... and up the chain we go until bigger fish species such as bass are attracted.”

Additional trees will be staged at select ramps around the reservoir to be used by the public. Anglers placing trees in Thurmond Lake need to weight the trees and must not place the trees in the boating channels.

Anyone wishing to obtain a list of locations where the trees will be available should contact the Corps’ Thurmond Lake Office after January 8.

For more information or to volunteer, contact the Thurmond Lake Project Office at 800-533-3478.

- 30 -


Contact
Billy Birdwell
912-652-5014
912-677-6039 (cell)
Billy.E.Birdwell@usace.army.mil

Release no. 19-036