It’s a way to let your Christmas tree do extra duty after the holidays. That’s when those lives trees, minus their decoration, can go toward helping out Mother Nature.

This will be the fifth year for the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District to partner with the U.S. Forestry Service in its Christmas tree recycling program.

“It is a very good program. We work well together with Chad Fitton of the forestry service,” Dan Palmer, district coordinator, said. “Our litter crews will pick up the trees and haul them out to Lake Vesuvius for Chad.”

There they will go into the lake to be deposited for fish habitats.

“Otherwise this is just solid waste and would go into the landfill,” Palmer said. “We have expanded this for the first time in Scioto County. There are four sites down there and we are working with Shawnee State.”

Usually the crews collect between 125 to 130 trees each season.

Trees must be stripped of all ornaments, lights and decorations. This year there will be six designated sites, each marked with signs stating “Christmas Tree Drop Site.”

Those sites are:

• Lawrence County Fairgrounds main entrance.

• South Point Village Hall, 408 Second St.

• Coal Grove Village Hall, Carlton-Davidson Lane.

• Hanging Rock Police Department lot.

• Junction of U.S. 52 and State Route 141 at vacant ODOT property.

• U.S. Forestry, 6518 State Route 93, Pedro.

The program will go on for two weeks starting Monday, Dec. 27 through Jan. 7.