A conservation project at Rend Lake has given 875 used trees a new lease of life, turning them into underwater shelters designed to support fish populations and improve aquatic habitats. The initiative, reported by KFVS12 and Illinois Department of Natural Resources, brought together fisheries biologists from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), staff from the US Army Corps of Engineers and volunteers from the Sesser-Valier Outdoorsmen Club. Thousands of Christmas trees are discarded every year once the festive season ends, but in southern Illinois, hundreds of them have found a second purpose beneath the water. The trees were donated by local businesses after Christmas and transported to designated locations near the South Sandusky Boat Ramp, where they were prepared before being submerged. The programme is part of an ongoing effort to improve fish habitats at Rend Lake, a popular fishing destination in southern Illinois.
This type of habitat improvement is particularly useful in man-made lakes, where naturally occurring submerged trees and woody structures may be limited, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Unlike artificial fishing structures, which are often made from plastic or concrete, natural Christmas trees provide a complex network of branches that smaller fish can use to hide from predators. The branches also create surfaces where algae and microorganisms can develop. These organisms support smaller aquatic creatures, including insects and other invertebrates, which eventually become food for fish. In this way, the submerged trees contribute to the wider aquatic food chain. Volunteers from the Sesser-Valier Outdoorsmen Club helped with the physical task of bundling, weighing down and moving the trees into the water. The initiative also builds on a seasonal collection programme run by the US Army Corps of Engineers, which invites residents to donate their natural Christmas trees after the holidays. Artificial and flocked trees are not accepted, and decorations, lights, stands and tinsel must be removed before donation.