In 2023, New Yorkers discarded more than 1,000 tons of trees after Christmas. Queens and Brooklyn alone contributed 306 tons and 246 tons, respectively. The sight of upturned trees along city streets is all too familiar in January.
But there’s a better way to dispose of your tree! Through January 12, New York City Parks is accepting discarded trees for Mulchfest at designated locations, including sites at Brooklyn Marine Park (East 33rd Street and Avenue U) and Queens Rockaway Beach (94th Street and Shorefront Parkway). Neighbors around Jamaica Bay and Rockaway can take part in this eco-friendly initiative.
By participating, you’ll be giving one more gift this holiday season: your Christmas tree to be transformed into mulch that will benefit landscaping and natural areas in community parks nearby.
Christmas Trees are the gifts that keep on giving
What many New Yorkers may not realize is that Christmas trees can also serve a vital role in adaptive ecological management. For example, the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy West Pond Living Shoreline project was significantly improved over the last year through this method.
Our Wetlands Fellows used 250 recycled Christmas trees to build nearly 600 linear feet of fascines — natural breakwater structures to mitigate erosion and protect thousands of salt marsh plantings during their vulnerable establishment phase.
These trees found a new purpose, thanks to generous donations from the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the Saint Francis DeSales Roman Catholic Church, which provided discarded trees to our stewardship team.
Crucially, we see that it’s working! Lush growth has flourished, with restored marsh blending seamlessly into original marsh, helping guard the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge’s freshwater pond from saltwater incursions. After the installation of the fascines last winter, vibrant growth appeared in spring and summer. By fall, our stewardship team observed substantial sediment trapped by the tree barriers, partially burying them in the dense marsh shoreline.
This project's success was also made possible by volunteers from Bloomberg and JFK International Air Terminal, who helped transport the trees, and the National Park Service, who oversee the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, where the West Pond Living Shoreline is located.
A refresh of these tree fascines is needed in 2025, to continue supporting this fragile ecosystem. Our stewardship team is already collecting additional trees for this effort.
Want to get involved? If you have a Christmas tree to discard, bring it to Brooklyn Marine Park (East 33rd Street and Avenue U) or Queens Rockaway Beach (94th Street and Shorefront Parkway).
West Pond Living Shoreline at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Summer 2024
Stay connected by following our Instagram and Facebook pages for updates on the project, plus other events and initiatives around Jamaica Bay.
If you don’t have a Christmas tree, or you’re in a position to give a little more, please consider becoming a supporter of Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy. Your donation supports JBRPC park stewardship and restoration programs, free public programs and events, education and research programs, increased recreational amenities, and community engagement efforts throughout city, state, and national parks in Jamaica Bay and Rockaway.