Do they celebrate Christmas in Davy Jones鈥檚 locker?
A silly question, perhaps, but it鈥檚 one that popped into my mind after learning of the annual post-yuletide tradition at . During the week after Christmas, U.S. Forest Service employees gather hundreds of old Christmas trees, lash them to cinder blocks, and then dump them into Lake Vesuvius, the largest body of water in the park. This year, 鈥渟inking day,鈥 as it鈥檚 called, occurred on December 27, and officials sent more than 300 trees to watery graves. They even snapped photos.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been doing this project for several years, at least as long as anyone who works here can remember,鈥 said Ashley Kuflewski, a biologist with the Forest Service.
Ohio鈥檚 Department of Natural Resources , placing trees in the Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area, West Branch Reservoir, and LaDue Reservoir.
Why send hundreds of Tannenbaum to a lake bed? Officials say the trees become habitat for freshwater fish, while the decomposing bark and needles nourish algae and zooplankton that then feed crawfish, snails, mussels, and other animals. Larger fish like bluegill, panfish, and crappie hide from predators in the sunken branches, allowing pelagic populations to soar. The trees strengthen a lake鈥檚 ecosystem, which attracts more anglers.
Wayne National Forest鈥檚 sinking day is hardly an outlier鈥攁gencies in Kentucky, Alabama, , South Carolina, and other states also build artificial fish habitat from Christmas trees.
鈥淔ish like to live in places they feel protected,鈥 Sarah Chaabane of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources . 鈥淎n exposed shoreline might be suitable for fish, but they might need a little encouragement.鈥
In its holiday news release, the Missouri Department of Conservation 鈥渁 special gift for fish.鈥 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Mobile, Alabama, to dump their own trees into waterways, reminding owners to remove all lights, tinsel, and ornaments before heaving a tree overboard. I hope nobody鈥檚 unopened gift card ended up on a lake bed.
The Virginia Department of Wildlife even tracks the location of these underwater Christmas-tree reefs and for anglers. In California, the East Bay Regional Park Division of fish darting about one such reef to show locals what life looks like amid the sunken trees.
Most of the organized Christmas-tree roundups (and sinkings) I read about occur in the days after Christmas, which is to the benefit of those diligent families who immediately pack away the decorations and move on with their lives and schedules. I have yet to find one that works with my family鈥檚 annual tradition, which is to allow our tree to dry out and shed needles all over our聽living room well into February.