Southport, Merseyside, UK 10th January, 2014. Recycling & Conservation. Over the past few years, thousands of recycled Christmas trees have been used to build sand trap fences and provide better conditions for the growth of Marram grass, which protects a vulnerable part of this internationally important sand dune habitat. Following the growing success of the initiative, National Trust Rangers invited people to bring along their cut Christmas trees and plant them with the Rangers.
Old Christmas trees might not be the most obvious answer for helping to protect sand dunes, but that’s just what National Trust Rangers are using to improve the stability of Formby’s sand dunes. Over the past few years, thousands of recycled Christmas trees have been used to build sand trap fences and provide better conditions for the growth of Marram grass, which protects a vulnerable part of this internationally important sand dune habitat. Following the growing success of the initiative, National Trust Rangers called for volunteers to help build the protective fences. On Saturday 4 and Saturday 11 January between 10am and 1pm the team at Formby invited people to bring along their cut Christmas trees and plant them with the Rangers or to help plant others that have been donated. The Rangers are hoping to plant around 2,500 unwanted trees in January, which is enough to make ½ mile of sand fences – trees of 4 to 6 ft are the ideal height. Andrew Brockbank, National Trust Countryside Manager at Formby said: ‘This is a great way to recycle your Christmas tree. Dune fences will not stop erosion, but they do help the dunes to build up and restore stability which is good for wildlife and good for coastal protection. The mobile dunes are an important part of the sea defence at Formby.’
Size: 3600px × 2400px
Location: Southport, Merseyside, UK
Photo credit: © MediaWorldImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: Yes
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