Don’t throw away your Christmas tree just yet! It can be used to help rebuild the dunes that were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. 

Island Beach State Park is instituting a pilot program to install discarded Christmas trees in several specific locations on the island in order to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of further use in the future. 

The trees will be placed on their side, end to end, and secured in place in a manner similar to dune fencing.

A collection point for Somerset/Middlesex County residents has been established at Scaffolding Towers of America, 3 Smalley Avenue, Middlesex, NJ 08846. (Please note - the drop off location is a shared lot. Please leave trees only within the designated area.) In the upcoming days, volunteers will be bringing the trees to Dominic Salazzo who is organizing the effort on behalf of Island Beach State Park. 

For more information, or if you are interested in setting up a collection point or can help transport trees, please contact April Readlinger at aprilreadlinger@gmail.com(please use "NJ Christmas Trees” as the email subject).  For more information about rebuilding the dunes with used Christmas trees, click here: http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2FDunes-Christmas-Trees&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHY9Y02MydyQbC2XJRu4qnZZPE9yQ