In the United States, they collected 5,000 discarded Christmas trees instead of throwing them into landfills: they sank them in a lake to create a shelter for fish

When Christmas ends, the same question arises in millions of homes across the United States, especially those that use real trees rather than plastic ones: What to do with the tree? While most end up in the trash, in the state of Kentucky they have found a more than curious alternative, but a very effective one for giving them a second life.

The regional government has made the decision to collect them, last year they managed to gather around 5,000 natural fir trees delivered by residents. Instead of incinerating them or piling them up in landfills, the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources set this plan in motion: to sink 1,700 of these trees into the depths of Lake Boltz.

What is the purpose of sinking Christmas trees in a lake?

The initiative, dubbed Christmas for the Fishes, addresses a serious environmental problem. Most of the region's reservoirs are artificial and were created more than half a century ago. Over the decades, the wood and vegetation on the bottom have rotted away, leaving aquatic species without protection.

By submerging the trees grouped “with ecological counterweights, the branches form an intricate underwater network,” they said in a statement. This acts as a natural shield where smaller fish, such as catfish or perch, can evade predators, feed, and reproduce safely.

The impact is not only for the ecosystem, but also for fishing enthusiasts, who can benefit from it. Fish tend to gather in large numbers around these wooden structures. To facilitate fishing activity in the area, biologists record the exact GPS coordinates of the submerged fir trees and share them in a public mobile app, thus making it easier for anglers who come to the area.