When the lights are gone, the ornaments stored and the garlands furled, Fayette County

Christmas trees can still have a useful purpose, says

Keep Fayette Beautiful director Deeva Boleman.

On Jan. 9, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., residents may turn trees in at five recycling sites to be

reduced to mulch for use by local governments and

schools, Boleman said. Some will even be sunk into

local lakes to form fish habitats.

In a win-win-win situation, participants in

this year's "Bring One for the Chipper" program

will receive dogwood and red maple seedlings for

ex-Christmas trees, while supplies last, thus

renewing natural resources and beautifying the community.

Moreover, the project spares landfill space.

More than 6,500 trees were collected in last year's

"Chipper" event. "Had these trees been landfilled,"

Boleman said, "they would have taken up approximately

1,186 cubic yards of landfill space. Instead they were

re-used right here in the community."

"Real" Christmas trees as opposed to the artificial kind

are the right choice from beginning to end of their careers,

say environmentalists. Young trees, mass-planted in Christmas

tree farms, actually generate more oxygen than mature trees as they

grow. The industry provides an especially important livelihood to

small farmers. And in the end, the application of mulch in urban

landscapes helps conserve water and returns the trees' nutrients to

the soil for the next generation of green growth.

"Bring One for the Chipper" is a statewide program,

coordinated by Keep Georgia Beautiful through the state's Department

of Community Affairs. Statewide sponsors include Home

Depot, Davey Tree, Georgia-Pacific, Georgia Power, and 11

Alive WXIA-TV.

The program is coordinated locally by Keep Fayette

Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. Local sponsors include

the county Extension Service, McRae Communications,

Fayetteville Home Depot, EPI-Environmental Partners, Harp's Farm Market

and Nursery, Kroger and Kedron Village Shopping Center, the City

of Peachtree City, the Town of Tyrone, the Fayette County

Board of Commissioners, and the Fayette County Water System.

Boleman said the project has become larger each year, and

volunteers are still needed at all recycling sites. Volunteers

remove trees from vehicles, bag and distribute seedlings, and tally

the number of trees collected.

They should dress warmly and bring a pair of work gloves.

Each will receive a T-shirt designed especially for the event.

It's the volunteers who make the program work, Boleman

said. For more information, or to volunteer, call Keep Fayette

Beautiful, 770-460-5730, ext. 447 or 134.

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