Volunteers across Rhode Island have collected more than 600 discarded Christmas trees in 2026 to help repair damaged riverbanks and protect wild trout. The effort turns holiday waste into valuable underwater habitat for fish and other aquatic life. The statewide project, known as "Trees for Trout," is a joint effort by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Division of Fish and Wildlife and the Rhode Island chapter of Trout Unlimited. Instead of sending used Christmas trees to landfills, residents brought hundreds of real evergreen trees to collection events at the Arcadia Management Area in Exeter. According to event details published by the Department of Environmental Management, the trees will be reused to improve local waterways. The collected trees are being secured along damaged streams throughout the Wood River watershed. The aim is to reduce soil erosion caused by extreme weather and severe flooding.
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