BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. -- Each year, millions of Christmas trees are harvested, decorated, gathered around, and then thrown out. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is providing a handful of beneficial uses for the trees rather than sending them to a landfill.

"People often ask the Michigan DNR whether their Christmas trees would make good habitat for fish. This is a great question, as many of Michigan’s lakes once had woody habitat, such as a fallen tree, every 5 to 50 feet," Michigan DNR officials said.

"This woody habitat is important for fish, turtles, frogs, herons and other animals, because it provides refuge from predators and opportunities to bask in the sun, reduces wave energy that erodes shorelines and encourages growth of aquatic plants. Harder-wood trees with an open branch structure provide high-quality habitat."

That being said, Christmas trees are classified as softwoods, and are typically species such as balsam fir, Douglas fir, Fraser fir, noble fir, Scotch pine, Virginia pine and white pine.

"These softwoods break down relatively quickly in aquatic environments," DNR officials said. "The dense branches on Christmas trees that are perfect for holding ornaments are often too dense for many fish to use as habitat."

Additionally, wildlife officials say pesticides applied to Christmas trees, leftover decorations and anchors used to sink trees may introduce unwanted materials into the waters.

Suggested Christmas tree uses:

• Create a brush pile on your property to provide habitat; wildlife may use it for nesting or as a food source. Just make sure that the tree is pesticide-free and that you’ve removed all of the ornaments and other decorations.
• Cut the tree into small pieces or mulch it to use in garden pots or landscaping, which will return nutrients to the soil. Depending on the type of gardening you’re doing and the type of tree you have, you may need to confirm that the tree is pesticide-free and that it won’t negatively affect soil composition for whatever you’re growing.
• Give the tree to a friend who has chickens or goats. Chickens can roost on trees and goats love to chew on them. Again, make sure the tree is pesticide-free before allowing animals to use it.
• Recycle your tree through your municipality. Many cities and towns collect trees or have designated drop-off locations; these trees are usually turned into mulch.

Regardless of the methods you use, officials say you must get a permit from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) before putting "fish habitat structures" or anything that may affect the bottomlands on public waters in Michigan.

"EGLE has developed the Minor Project Category: Fish and Wildlife Habitat Structures permit to encourage creation of shoreline woody structures through a relatively easy and low-cost permit category and expedited process," EGLE officials said.

"If you’re interested in adding shoreline woody structure to your local body of water, a quick meeting with your local EGLE district staff person is a great first step to ensure the project meets permitting criteria. Pre-application meetings can be requested through MiEnviro, EGLE’s permitting and compliance database, to discuss project design and regulatory standards."