Discarded Christmas trees are being used to help protect homes and businesses along the Fylde Coast in Lancashire, UK.
asserted
trees → discard → Lancashire
Since the project began in 2013, old Christmas trees have been placed on St Annes beach to trap wind-blown sand and help build wider sand dunes.
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trees → begin → dunes
According to Fydle Council, the annual work is part of the Fylde Sand Dunes Project, which aims to restore and conserve the coastal dunes.
uncertain
which → accord → dunes
Fylde Council, Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Blackpool Council work together on the project, which is funded by the Environment Agency.
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which → work → Agency
Trees are placed in front of the existing dunes, where their branches slow down the wind and trap sand.
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branches → place → sand
As more sand collects around the trees, the mound grows and can eventually become part of a new dune.
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mound → collect → dune
The project has already produced a visible change.
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project → produce → change
Last year, more than 2,000 Christmas trees were collected from residents and used in the planting work.
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trees → collect → work
According to the council, this helped create a 90-metre increase in the width of the Fylde Sand Dune system.
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this → accord → system
Christmas trees build dunes
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trees → build → dunes
Sand dunes naturally develop when wind-blown sand is trapped by an obstruction on the beach.
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sand → develop → beach
At first, the collected sand can be unstable and may collapse.
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sand → collect → ?
Plants can then begin growing in small pockets of sand and help hold the material in place.
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Plants → begin → place
At St Annes, discarded Christmas trees act as the first obstruction.
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trees → discard → obstruction
Their branches catch sand carried inland by the wind.
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branches → catch → wind
Over time, more sand becomes trapped around the trees, allowing the dune to grow.
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dune → trap → trees
The process then continues naturally.
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process → continue → ?
Pioneer grasses such as sand couch and lyme grass can grow in the dunes.
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grasses → grow → dunes
Marram grass can later become more dominant as sand builds around it.
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sand → become → it
Its growth helps stabilise the new dune, allowing more plants to establish.
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plants → help → dune
As the plants grow and spread, they help hold more sand in place.
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they → grow → place
Eventually, organic matter from plants that die and decay builds up.
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that → die → plants
The dune becomes more stable and develops into a habitat with different plants and animals.
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dune → become → plants
Why dunes matter
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dunes → matter → ?
Dunes act as a natural, or ‘soft’, sea defence.
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Dunes → act → defence
During storms, they absorb some of the energy from the sea.
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they → absorb → sea
Wider dunes are more effective at providing this protection.
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dunes → provide → protection
The dunes help reduce the risk of erosion caused by storm surges, which happen when strong winds combine with high tides.
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winds → help → tides
According to the Fylde Council, more than 80% of the dunes have been lost over the past 150 years because of coastal development.
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% → accord → development
The remaining dunes are now squeezed between the sea and nearby towns.
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dunes → remain → sea
This makes protecting and extending them important for both coastal communities and wildlife.
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protecting → make → communities
Amy Pennington, Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s Fylde Sand Dunes Project Senior Engagement Officer, said the dunes provide habitat for a wide range of plants and animals and also act as a soft sea defence.
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dunes → say → defence
“The sand dunes along the Fylde Coast are home to a diverse and specialised ecosystem, hosting a variety of unique plants and animals,” she said.
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she → host → plants
A habitat for plants and wildlife
The dunes have been designated as a Biological Heritage Site and are also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
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dunes → designate → Interest
They support specialised plants and animals that are adapted to the dry and shifting conditions of a sand dune environment.
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that → support → environment
Species found in the dunes include dune helleborine orchids, Isle of Man cabbage, dune pansies, sea holly and round-leaved wintergreen.
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Species → find → Man
Wildlife includes the grayling butterfly, mining bees, common lizards, skylarks, linnets and reed buntings.
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Wildlife → include → butterfly
The environment changes as the dunes develop.
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dunes → change → ?
Areas closer to the beach can have alkaline conditions because the sand contains pieces of sea shells.
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sand → have → shells
Further inland, the ground can become more acidic as the dune matures, allowing different plants to grow.
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plants → become → ?
…and 9 more, not listed.
The Aporia
