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Discarded Christmas trees on the beaches of Lancashire help form new dunes that retain sand and reinforce coastal protection in a region marked by erosion, urbanization, and recovery of natural habitats.
On the coast of Lancashire, in the northwest of England, Christmas trees discarded after the holidays are used to help rebuild dunes that act as a natural defense against the encroaching sea.
The work takes place on beaches south of Blackpool, especially in the Lytham St Annes area, where volunteers bury the pines in shallow trenches so that the branches retain sand carried by the wind and favor the formation of new coastal barriers, according to the Lancashire Wildlife Trust.
The initiative is part of the Fylde Sand Dunes Project, a partnership between the Lancashire Wildlife Trust and the local councils of Fylde and Blackpool, funded by the Environment Agency.
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According to the project, the region has lost more than 80% of the dunes in the last 150 years, mainly due to the expansion of coastal cities over areas that were once occupied by sand and coastal vegetation.
What once formed an extensive strip of dunes, advancing inland, has been reduced to narrower stretches between the sea and urbanized areas.
For those responsible for the project, these formations play a direct role in protecting the local community because they help reduce the exposure of houses, streets, and habitats to erosion and coastal flooding.
Christmas trees become sand barriers in Lancashire
After Christmas, residents donate natural trees already without ornaments, ribbons, or garlands.
On the beaches, technical teams and volunteers position the trunks and branches in front of the existing dunes.
With the action of the wind, the sand gets trapped between the branches, accumulates over the trees, and gradually expands the dune strip.
The method is used as a form of sand trap.
Instead of a rigid concrete structure, the project uses a seasonal waste to stimulate a natural dune formation process.
The speed of accumulation varies according to the wind, tide, position of the trees, and the volume of sand available on the beach.
The Lancashire Wildlife Trust reports that the work has already contributed to expanding the width of the Fylde dune system by about 90 meters.
In the most recent campaign, the organization received more than 2,000 trees for the coastal recovery action.
Although the presence of Christmas trees buried in the sand draws the attention of visitors, the practice has been carried out in the region for more than three decades.
In recent years, the action has been presented by conservationists as part of local measures to adapt to rising sea levels and coastal erosion.
Coastal dunes help protect communities from the encroachment of the sea
Coastal dunes are mobile formations, shaped by the combination of wind, sand, vegetation, and tides.
When preserved, they help dissipate part of the wave energy and offer a layer of protection before the water reaches urbanized areas.
Besides their coastal defense function, these environments serve as habitats for plants, insects, birds, and reptiles adapted to conditions of salt, wind, and sandy soil.
Vegetation plays an important role in this process because its roots help fix the sand and maintain the structure of the dunes.
In the United Kingdom, the loss of this type of environment is recorded in different regions.
Natural England estimates that the country has lost about 30% of sand dunes since 1900.
Among the pressures cited by the agency are urban development, climate change, land use changes, and modifications in the natural dynamics of sand.
On the Fylde coast, historical urbanization has limited the space available for dunes to move and renew naturally.
Amy Pennington, from the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, told the Guardian that the dunes “stretched for miles and miles inland,” but were reduced as cities occupied the coastal landscape.
The same expert stated that these formations are important because they represent the main maritime defense available to the local community.
In areas where the sand strip is narrow, the loss of dunes can increase the exposure of homes, roads, and public facilities near the shore.
Rising sea levels increase pressure on the British coastline
Rising sea levels are one of the factors that increase pressure on coastal areas.
The National Oceanography Centre reported, in 2025, that tide gauge records indicate an acceleration of sea level rise in the United Kingdom since the early 20th century.
According to the institution, about two-thirds of the observed rise occurred in the last little over three decades, and the British rate appears above the global average.
This advance alters the reach of tides and can increase the impact of storm surges.
When storms coincide with high tides, the water reaches higher areas of the beach and removes part of the accumulated sand.
In sections where the dunes have already been reduced, the wear tends to leave the coastline more exposed.
Pennington reported that the swells have been pushing the tide further onto the beach, which causes the dunes to be washed away more frequently.
For this reason, those responsible for the project are considering adapting the strategy: in addition to expanding the dunes towards the sea, the team is considering increasing the height of these formations in the coming years.
Sand Lizards Return to Fylde Dunes
The reconstruction of the dunes also integrates a wildlife conservation action.
Between 2017 and 2021, the Fylde Sand Dunes Project participated in a program to reintroduce sand lizards to the region.
The species is classified by conservation organizations as one of the rarest among reptiles in the UK and depends on habitats such as dunes and dry areas of low vegetation.
According to the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, 412 captive-bred hatchlings have been released into the dunes since 2018.
Monitoring identified eggshells, hatchlings born in the wild, and juvenile individuals, signs used by conservationists to track the species’ adaptation to the area.
The Fylde Council reported that the lizards were brought to the dunes as part of a long-term project to recover the species’ historical distribution.
In 2020, the council already highlighted that more than 300 individuals had been released and that eggs found the previous year indicated suitable conditions for reproduction.
For visitors, spotting one of these animals is unlikely, according to those responsible for monitoring.
Andy Singleton-Mills, conservation area manager at Fylde Council, told the Guardian that tracking the lizards can be like “looking for a needle in a haystack,” because they avoid human presence.
Reuse of Trees Strengthens Environmental Restoration
The use of discarded Christmas trees does not replace public climate adaptation policies nor does it independently prevent coastal erosion.
In the Fylde project, the technique is presented as a complementary measure, associated with habitat restoration, waste reuse, and protection of coastal communities.
In practice, the trees function as a temporary structure to retain sand.
Over time, the organic material becomes covered, while the accumulated sand and vegetation take on the role of stabilizing the dune.
Coastal grasses, such as marram grass, help in this process through long roots, which anchor the sandy soil and reduce wind-induced dispersion.
The artist Holly Moeller, who has painted the Lytham dunes in watercolor, told the Guardian that people risk taking these landscapes for granted.
According to her, the dunes may seem empty at first glance, but they concentrate forms of life that are not always noticed by those passing by the beach.
The Lancashire experience shows how local action, based on discarded material and volunteer work, can integrate environmental conservation and coastal defense strategies.
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