Christmas trees get new role in Fistral’s dunes
DAMAGED sand dunes at one of Britain’s most popular beaches are being saved – using old Christmas trees.
Around 30 festive trees are being used at Fistral beach, in Newquay, to repair the dunes that have been battered by recent storms.
The work is being carried out by volunteer group Friends of Fistral Dunes, which hopes the trees will enable sand and marram grass to build up again. They are working alongside landowners Cornwall Council. So far the trees have been put down in a trial area in an effort to fill a break on the beach.
A spokesperson for the group said: “‘What’s the deal with the Christmas trees?’ The number one question we’ve been asked since we have started working on the dunes.
“They really draw the attention which is great – everyone has been so positive. They don’t have roots and we’re not hoping that they will grow. We didn’t set out to install a Christmas tree farm on the dunes.
“Their purpose is to help stabilise the areas of the dune that have been particularly susceptible to erosion and damage. The exposed sand, which has been left open to the elements and trampling, means native marram grass hasn’t been able to establish itself there.”
The group said that the trees are dug into the sand to hold back the dune that is above them, and that they also collect sand that reaches them by the tide and wind. They then degrade naturally over time, leaving behind a stable dune.
The spokesperson added: “Eventually the locations where the trees have been planted will look more like a stable dune. Marram grass will both naturally encroach and we will be planting some in between the trees as well. The marram will then do the stabilising work instead of the trees. They have been proven to work very effectively in other locations on the Cornish coast. This year we had a small collection of trees – about 30.
“We could have had more, had we advertised, but lockdown meant that managing more than this would be tricky.
“Next year, we hope to have a big call-out to the community to come and help plant their tree. The locals have been so supportive and we feel that this contribution will leave a little legacy for them in our beloved dunes. Please don’t walk on, over or through the areas where the trees have been planted as it will undo our hard work and damages the dunes.”
Laura Guy-Wilkinson, from the group, told the BBC that “the dunes are the worst they have ever looked” and that there was a “real appetite from the town” to help protect them. A new path to access the beach has been created.
The same technique has been used in the past at Porthtowan beach. In January, 2014, 100 people buried Christmas trees in the sand as part of a Cornwall Council scheme to stabilise the sand dunes and provide a habitat for spring wildlife. However, the scheme proved to be controversial with residents after, two weeks later, more than 30 of the trees were scattered across the beach and village, following a fierce storm.