Give a gift to Alabama's environment: Recycle your old Christmas…

There are options beyond sending your tree off to a landfill.

With the passing of the holiday season, another annual tradition is now under way: the removal of some 25 to 30 million real Christmas trees from homes across the United States.

Many students learn the three Rs in environmental science class. The trio of reducing, reusing and recycling can make a positive impact on the environment, especially when performed simultaneously. That lesson can also be applied to your Christmas tree.

Fortunately, across Alabama there are many options for responsibly recycling Christmas trees. One of the most popular ways is to find a natural use for them, including sinking trees in lakes and ponds to support fish habitat.

Rusty Wright, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System fisheries specialist based in Auburn, said fish are naturally attracted to submerged trees, for many reasons.

“Small fish use the trees as a form of protection from larger predators,” Wright said. “Larger fish use…