We contacted Kelly Reetz, a Natural Resource Planner with Alabama State Parks, after she was quoted in a Nature Conservancy article featuring her insights on using Christmas trees for dune restoration. Inspired by the concept and similar programs in North Carolina, we're advocating for a potential local pilot program that Burghardt Christmas Traditions could participate in. We asked Reetz about concerns mentioned in a recent public meeting, including possibly attracting rodents and creating beach litter. We also asked Reetz about the program history and recommended protocols.
Here is the response from Kelly Reetz:
I’m honored that your family business is interested in supporting dune restoration efforts at your local beaches, which is similar to what we do at Gulf State Park. Dune restoration is one of my favorite topics, and I’ve seen so much change in our dunes over the years that I feel personally invested in their growth. So, this email might be a bit longer than you need, but I would love for you to see the whole story of our dunes at Gulf State Park.
History & Duration:
Let me start with your first question:
“How long has your community utilized Christmas trees for dune restoration?”
We have been using recycled Christmas trees for dune restoration since before I started working at Gulf in 2000. Dune restoration became particularly important after Hurricane Frederick in 1979, which severely eroded our dunes. At that time, many different attempts were made to rebuild the dunes. In some of the oldest photos I found of dune restoration (1980 or 1981), dunes were built up using tractors and then covering the piled sand with black fabric (like what you would use in your garden). The staff cut holes in the fabric and planted sea oat seeds (Uniola paniculata) in each hole. This worked well and the plants grew quickly.
As the park faced additional storms, other strategies for renourishing the beach included sand fences and eventually brush fences made of Christmas trees. Sand fences worked well but were expensive and difficult to install. We discontinued their use in 2006 because of the high cost in materials, the labor involved, and as they decomposed, they left bits of metal in the dunes.
The Christmas trees have proven effective and affordable for stabilizing dunes and promoting growth. After reading the book How to Read a Florida Gulf Coast Beach by Tonya Clayton, I began to make changes to our efforts by placing the trees in groups of three, in a horseshoe shape, with the opening facing to the southeast for the optimal collection of windblown sand. To hold them in place, we put a small amount of sand on them, and the wind does the rest. Almost every year in late January and early February, we have volunteers that come out to help put the trees on the beach. Additionally, colleges began to request “Alternative Spring Break” trips offering service projects as part of their spring break. I capitalized on this by putting young adults to work planting sea oats around each group of Christmas trees.
After Hurricane Ivan, I began working with Dune Doctors LLC, a “coastal erosion control firm that specializes in planning, constructing, and maintaining native ecosystems and protective landscapes. Together, we have installed plants (with the help of volunteers and college students) every February or March. Three years ago, Dune Doctors came up with a program called Planting For Protection (P4P). In this program, local high school students are taught about the importance of dune vegetation and how to properly plant native dune plants. Then, they serve as mentors to elementary students from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, working with them to install several thousand plants. This “educational initiative is designed by Dune Doctors to promote coastal resilience through community-based dune restoration."
Below, I have included some stats on our tree usage which might help your efforts. We ONLY ask for trees from our locals to prevent being inundated with more trees than the ecosystem can safely handle. Additionally, we do not go pick up trees. The locals must deliver them to our Beach Pavilion where they are stored on the pavement until the scheduled volunteer date.
2024 – 403 trees, 3,000 dune plants (Branyon Beach)
2023 – 405 trees, 3,000 dune plants (west of the pier)
2022 – 300ish trees, 4,000 dune plants (east of beach pavilion)
2021 – 427 trees (89 volunteers)
2020 – 518 trees (this was before P4P so we planted dune plants with College students and volunteers during spring break
Impact: Overall, this project has had a positive impact. While the trees can look unsightly for a short time, they rapidly help accumulate sand and decompose naturally, enriching the soil. We’ve also partnered with the Fish & Wildlife Service, and our methods have contributed to healthier, more resilient dunes.
Stabilizing and promoting dune growth (FWS involvement) – this method works! In fact, it works so well that FWS requested a diagram of how we place the trees. I have attached a newsletter that FWS sent to the Fort Morgan community to help them enhance their dunes.
Enhancing Alabama Beach Mouse Habitat – Our design of dune building allowed FWS to re-establish the Alabama beach mouse after a major hurricane extirpated it from Gulf State Park. This population of mice are still thriving in our dunes, even after subsequent storms.
Improved nesting habitat for shore birds – The Christmas trees have helped to stabilize our dunes enough that they attract nesting snowy plovers each year.
Wind management – After our area participated in a coastal beach nourishment project, the manufactured sand berm changed the flow of the wind and caused the sand to be deposited directly on the road, rather than into the dune field. We strategically placed Christmas tree dunes south of the “berm” in an effort to redirect the wind-blown sand. Over time, our efforts reduced the sand buildup on the road and helped to deposit the sand in the natural dune field.
Developing local environmental stewards through P4P and our local schools (amazing partnerships) – This is my favorite part of the Christmas tree project. Please take a look at the videos (linked above). There is nothing like teaching children (teens and kids) what it means to be a steward of our coastal environment. This program empowers the children to take ownership of the dunes and protect them. I have witnessed kids during the summer talking to visitors about why they should not be in the dunes, and I know that this next generation understands the importance of protecting our dunes!
I believe that we have only had a few negative experiences:
The trees are not pretty in the dunes. We do get regular complaints (in February and March) that what we are doing looks ugly. But, this gives us the opportunity to educate or guests about coastal conservation efforts.
Utilizing volunteers (especially schools) to place the trees and plant the sea oats is challenging. We had to be firm that if the schools wanted to help, they had to understand that we had to do what was best for the environment, and not what was easy for the teachers or closest to the bathrooms.
If the trees are left piled too long on the beach parking lot, we do sometimes find the Alabama beach mice trying to make burrows under them (on top of the asphalt.) For this reason, I try hard to have them installed on the beach by the end of February.
Some people have argued that using Christmas trees will draw fire ants to the beach. We already have fire ants and I have not seen an increase of ants around the trees. Usually, I see them closer to the parking lots and the pavilion.
Trash – I really have not noticed too much trash put into the trees once they are placed on the beach. When we see it, we go get it. We have a “Leave only Footprints” program where we do not allow guests to leave any chairs, towels, tents, etc. on the beach after 9 pm. As a result, our beaches stay relatively clean. We also have a volunteer group (Share the Beach) that walks every morning from May-August to monitor for sea turtles and they collect trash as they walk. Our community has really grown in the past 20 years to be VERY environmentally conscious and excellent stewards!
Summer guests will sometimes “steal” our trees before they are sufficiently covered and make forts out of them. This doesn’t always happen, but it is frustrating when it does.
Protocols:
We ask that the donated live trees be free of all decorations (including tinsel, garland, and any other anthropogenic material).
We do not accept trees that have been flocked
On the day we place the trees, a couple of volunteers are assigned to monitor trees and make sure they are clean (remove lights, plastic ties, missed ornaments, etc.)
Gulf’s maintenance staff will use the backhoe or bobcat to move trees from the parking lot to a predetermined location on the beach. This makes the placement easier on the volunteers
Trees are placed at the toe of the existing dunes and not in the direct path of authorized beach vehicles.
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We wanted to know more about our beach mice populations that might be involved. "Beach mice inhabit coastal dunes in the panhandle and along the Atlantic coast of Florida," according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "Development of coastal areas has caused a loss of habitat for beach mice and other plants and animals that live in the dunes. Due to this loss of habitat, five of the six subspecies of beach mice found in Florida are state and federally listed as either endangered or threatened. Not only does protecting the dunes help to protect beach mice, it also protects the people and structures near the coasts from the effects of hurricanes."
Our goal at Burghardt Christmas Tradition is to promote a sustainable solution for discarded trees while enhancing coastal resilience. We appreciate the extensive details on this valuable program provided by Kelly Reetz on behalf of the Alabama State Parks System. If you have a similar experience with dune restoration using recycled Christmas trees please get in touch with us and share your story.
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