Lincoln Boy Scout Troop 8 helps give Christmas trees a second life
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) -With Christmas officially over, many families may be thinking about what they will do with their Christmas trees.
Boy Scout Troop 8 in southeast Lincoln is willing to help take care of those trees after the lights and decorations are removed.
“Scouting for Trees” was started by a Boy Scout troop in Omaha back in 1998 and has been taking place in Lincoln for 11 years now.
The scouts haul away unsold trees from local businesses and from residential homes, so they can be repurposed in an ecological way.
Friday is the first day of their collection and Brooks Rushman, the community chair for Troop 8, said they’ve already gathered at least 225 trees so far.
“It can be overwhelming, especially for small businesses that don’t have the means to bring them over here,” Rushman said.
He says, although the people of Lincoln can throw the trees out with regular trash, the downside to that is they’ll end up in a landfill, taking up limited space.
“This is a great opportunity. It gets recycled and most gets put back into chips,” Rushman said. “A few of these trees will go down to the Children’s zoo for the animals, and then some will get recycled into either firewood or for campouts and also for wildlife habitats.”
Some trees will also be made into mulch for anyone who wants it.
The benefits of this program don’t just stop with the discarded Evergreens. The Boy Scouts are taking away lessons, such as the ability to follow maps for pickups across southeast Lincoln and a set of values for the environment.
“Our outdoor code is taking care of our environment, making sure we’re doing the right thing,” Rushman said. “Not only that, but they can also make a difference.”
Boy Scout Ethan Brown has been taking part in the ‘Scouting for Trees” program for the past six years. He says the heavy lifting is worth it.
“People really appreciate it, because if they’re not able to haul it themselves or they’re busy or they’re just trying to help scouts get their hours, it’s really helpful for everyone,” he said.
Brown says these hours of service will help him become an Eagle Scout next.
If you have a tree you would like picked up by one of these Boy Scouts, you can visit their website here and select your zip code.
