Island Beach State Park To Collect Christmas Trees Again In 2022

ISLAND BEACH STATE PARK, NJ — After the holidays, people will be able to put their Christmas trees to good use at Island Beach State Park.

Christmas trees will be lined up at the base of eroding dunes throughout the park. The trees capture wind-blown sand, helping it grow into a dune faster than it would naturally.

The Christmas tree collection on Jan. 8 will mark the second annual program at the park, though this year the park is requiring people to register in advance before dropping their tree off. Once 300 donors register, Island Beach will not accept any additional trees.

“Pre-registration allows Island Beach State Park and its volunteers to efficiently receive and control the number of trees at the designated drop-off points,” said Caryn Shinske, a spokesperson for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

For its first collection in January 2020, Island Beach State Park hoped to receive 200 new trees to improve its dune system. The park received more than 2,000.

“At that time, a larger amount of trees was accepted due to larger areas of the park needing dune stabilization,” Shinske said. “The DEP did a Christmas Tree collection in 2012 after Superstorm Sandy but it wasn’t until 2019 that the Division of Parks and Forestry implemented the program again and considered it a more consecutive annual program.”

The Christmas tree recycling project was canceled the following year in 2021 due to COVID-19 public gathering restrictions in place for the large number of volunteers involved.

For those who register, trees must be dropped off on Jan. 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the park’s swimming area #2. Trees should be free of lights and ornaments. No flocked trees will be accepted.

Trees will be loaded directly into trucks that will bring them out to the beach. Staff will be onsite to assist with the unloading process.

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