How The Army Uses Christmas Trees To Make Fishing Better

In Southern Illinois, the United States Army Corps of Engineers is requesting recycled Christmas trees from locals who celebrate to make the fishing on Rend Lake better.

By bundling Christmas trees together and weighing the bundles down at their bases, usually with cement blocks, the engineers make brush piles that are then dumped into the lake.

The underwater structure serves as a sanctuary for smaller fish, an ambush point for larger fish, and an excellent spot for anglers to wet a line.

From now until January 15, 2021, the Army Corps will be accepting tree donations to help strengthen Rend Lake, a large reservoir known for its tremendous crappie fishing.

Photo Credit: The Southern Illinoisan

Tree Facts To Share Over Eggnog

• The average Christmas tree takes between 8-9 years to grow to 6 feet
• In 2019 about 26 Million Christmas trees were sold in the United States
• Roughly 350 million Christmas trees are growing right now on farms
• The most common Christmas tree type is a Fir (Douglas, Balsam, or Fraser), followed by Spruce and Pine trees
• In some beach communities, recycled Christmas trees become sand erosion barriers
• Most recycled trees turn into mulch
• On Wisconsin's Lake Winnebago, they use Christmas trees as navigational markers when driving on the frozen lake

Watch Christmas Trees get dumped into Rend Lake