As

part of the statewide effort to reuse Christmas

trees, Georgia Power is once again partnering

with Keep Georgia Beautiful, The Home Depot, The

Davey Tree Expert Company, Georgia-Pacific,

WXIA-TV and local sponsors to provide convenient

sites for area residents to drop off their trees.

The

year 2000 marks the ninth anniversary of

"Bring One for the Chipper," which has

collected 2.5 million trees and provided one

million tree seedlings to participants during its

previous eight years. Last year 327,578 trees

were collected.

"This

annual event diverts more than 300,000 Christmas

trees annually from landfills throughout the

state and reinforces the steps we need to take to

keep all yard waste from being disposed in

landfills," said Heather Leo, Keep Georgia

Beautiful's program coordinator. "This is

one simple way to reduce the amount of waste

entering landfills."

One

often overlooked benefit of recycling the trees

is the opportunity to receive free mulch for

landscaping. The Davey Tree Expert Company

provides chipping equipment at several locations

around the state and will be mulching the trees

as they come in Jan. 8.

In

addition to landscaping, the mulch is great for

children's play areas. Churches, day care centers

and schools are encouraged to use the mulch from

the chipper program for their playgrounds.

Interested parties should phone Chris Helm at

Davey Tree, 770-451-7911, for information about

the availability of mulch.

This

will be the fourth year that Georgia Power fish

biologist Scott Hendricks has used trees to

create fish habitats in Lake Burton. Last year,

Georgia Power and Department of Human Resources

employees placed about 600 trees in the lake.

Hendricks

will partner with the DNR in late January and is

hoping to use about 1,000 trees this year. He is

also working with a youth bass fishing club to

place about 250 trees in Lake Jackson. Placing

the trees in the lake enhances the entire

ecosystem.

"The

trees provide a place for micro-organisms to

grow, which attract the young or small

fish," said Hendricks. "In turn, the

small fish attract the larger bass and crappie

who are looking for an easy meal. Where the large

fish gather is where you will find the

anglers."

For

a complete listing of Christmas tree collection

sites, check out the "Bring One for the

Chipper" web site at www.KeepGeorgiaBeautiful.org .

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