Today’s good news story comes from AS USA Online Sports Newspaper and was sent in by special reporter.
Thousands of Christmas trees have been dropped from helicopters in the US since 1990. 36 years later, the coastal restoration effort is a success
What started as an unusual recycling experiment has become a key part of Louisiana’s fight to save its coastline.
Every January, thousands of Christmas trees end up in the trash after the holiday season. In New Orleans, officials have found a remarkable way to give them a second life.
Instead of sending the trees to landfills, the discarded firs are collected, tied together into large bundles and dropped by helicopters over coastal marshes. The goal is to help slow the decades-long loss of land threatening Louisiana’s coastline.
A state losing ground to the water
Louisiana has lost more than 2,000 square miles of coastline since the 1930s due to natural erosion and powerful storms. Rising sea levels and sinking land have made the problem even worse.
The Mississippi River also no longer carries as much sediment into the wetlands as it once did, reducing the natural process that helped rebuild the coast. As a result, marshes are disappearing rapidly, weakening their ability to absorb storm surges and protect nearby communities from flooding.
The Christmas tree recycling program is designed to help restore some of those damaged wetlands by creating natural barriers that trap sediment and encourage new land growth.
A creative solution backed by research
Scientists have found that these tree barriers can make a measurable difference. Studies show that the structures can reduce water flow by half and increase the thickness of the soil each year.
Experts caution that the initiative alone cannot solve Louisiana’s massive erosion problem, but official figures show the program has already helped restore an area of wetlands equivalent to around 200 soccer fields.
By turning old Christmas trees into tools for coastal restoration, New Orleans has transformed holiday waste into a small but meaningful weapon in the fight against climate change and rising seas.
The good news in this story is that cast-off holiday trees that could become waste are turned into useful environmental tools. Today’s JohnKu talks about waste. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Treasure by John W. Howell © 2026
What most see as waste,
Louisiana sees as . . .
Treasure for the Earth.
What a brilliant idea John… I have always felt sad about Christmas trees cut down in their prime and then discarded so this gives them another purpose and it sounds like it is making a huge difference. We have had an artificial tree for the last 30 years and each years it gets patched up a little more… hugsx
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That’s a fantastic idea. I’m glad it’s working to rebuild and regrow the marshes.
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Me too. Thank you, Deborah. 😊
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YAY for trees! I like hearing this, since it makes so much sense. (let’s hope the beavers don’t get their fur ruffled)
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Ha ha ha. Beavers are pretty wily, so I think they will be okay.
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Wow. I’m not sure what to say. An interesting idea and I hope it works. But think of how this whole concept started. My guess it included a lot of beer and whiskey. I can almost see 5 or 6 guys in a bar at 1:00 am. “hey bubba, I got an idea, what if we ….” The rest is history. Bartender, another round . 😀
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think you are right. One of the guys owns a helicopter too. 😄 Thanks, Tom
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Even more reason to say CHRISTMAS👍…🐳
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Absolutely. 😄
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What a fascinating news story this week, John.
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It is. Thank you, Esther. 😊
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I always love hearing about our Christmas trees getting repurposed for an even greater purpose, John. Great program. The “Season of Lights” shines year-round with ideas like this.
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I agree, Bruce. The spirit lives on. 😄
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I haven’t heard of this, but what a fantastic idea! I love that the Christmas trees are repurposed.
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I do, too, Teri. It would take the bite out of having a live tree. 😊
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What a wonderful way to repurpose trees! Great Fri-YAY news, John!❣️🎄
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I agree, Cindy. Just wonderful.
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What a beautiful initiative.
Happy Friday to you!
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Thank you, Dale. Happy Friday to you.
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Merci!
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De rein. 😊
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💞
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😊
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That’s a good idea to preserve the coast, John. There are spots on upper Lake Michigan that they dump tons of rocks on the outer beach, sometimes make wave breakers of rocks out in the lake. We see this every summer when we go for a vacation up there by Good Hart.
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The Michigan beaches have been in trouble for years. Thanks for the info, Tim.
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😊
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What a clever and genius idea!
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I agree, Joy.
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Very ingenious.
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I think so too. Thanks, Charles.
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I hate to see Christmas trees lying abandoned by the side of the road after Christmas, so this was brilliant.
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I agree, Noelle. 😊
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I’m such a fan of this great reuse of natural resources for the betterment of the area. I know the draining of wetlands has made recovery from hurricanes more problematic so this seems like a positive step to restoring the sea levels. Bravo, John.
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I agree, Monika. It is good to see some effort in getting back to nature.
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I had no idea! Pretty fantastic.
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I agree, Lois. Thank you. 😊
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Love the idea. Thanks. John.
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I do too, Pat
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🎄🎄🎄
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I think I may have heard about this some years ago. It’s a clever idea that I’m happy to hear is working. Driving round the neighborhood after christmas, seeing the carcasses of dead trees lining the streets is depressing. Especially when you know they’re likely going to end up down at the landfill. Thanks for sharing this with us, John!
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I hate that, too. We have had an artificial tree for about 30 years. The original motivation was conservation.
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This is such a wonderful project! Hurray for Louisiana!!
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I agree, Liz. It is terrific. 😊
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As long as this program is energy effective, it makes sense to me.
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The amount of fuel used vs the returns sounds like a good deal. Thanks, Pete 😊
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I certainly know about the trouble Louisiana’s coastline is in. This is a great use of discarded christmas trees. Smart people coming up with solutions.
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I agree with you, Thomas. 😄
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