Texas turns 160 donated Christmas trees into underwater fish reef
Texas wildlife officials and partners recycled over 160 Christmas trees by sinking them into Granger Lake to create artificial reefs. These structures provide essential habitat for small fish, helping to restore the lake's ecosystem.
Why it matters
Repurposing holiday waste for ecological restoration demonstrates a practical application of circular economy principles in conservation.
The Christmas season is around the corner, and the must-have Christmas tree often ends up on the curb once the holidays are over, needles trailing down the driveway. They rarely get a second act. In 2024, more than 160 of them got a second act. None of them were headed for a living room, but a lake. The Christmas trees were dropped off at Yeti's flagship store in Austin. Biologists and technicians from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Inland Fisheries Division hauled the trees to Granger Lake and sank them as a single large reef. The project also involved the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and had a specific purpose: to give the fish somewhere to be!From Austin to the lakeThe logistics were simple. Yeti collected the Christmas trees at the store. TPWD crews moved them to the water.
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