How Christmas trees are helping to protect Cornwall's sand dunes from coastal erosion
Over 2,000 tonnes of sand has been saved in the past year
Meet the environmental group who are using Christmas trees to protect sand dunes in north Cornwall.
The team Beach Guardian, who work to clean litter off our beaches, are going to bury our old used Christmas trees at Constantine Bay to help limit coastal erosion.
It works by digging a trench and putting the trees in upright, with half sticking out, to create a natural wall.
This wall then traps the sand and helps protect the ecosystem of the dunes.
Emily Stevenson heads up the project up, she told us that since starting the project a year ago, they have already managed to save 2,000 tonnes of sand.
"Along our coastline here in north Cornwall we're experiencing real extreme coastal erosion, so where we've been finding hotspots of erosion, particularly on Constantine Bay, we've been burying these Christmas trees to try and limit that erosion.
"The idea behind this is that the Christmas trees, with their natural branched structure, provide a really interesting and successful way of trapping sand once they're buried in sand dunes.
"If you imagine the wind blows the sand, and it all then gets captured in this Christmas tree network."
Emily Stevenson, Beach Guardian
The team have been collecting people's used Christmas trees, and so far have had over 50 donated.
They are hoping to collect up to 100 before taking them onto the beach and burying them in sand, once the lockdown restrictions are lifted.
Emily says the original plan had been for a group of volunteers to get to work this weekend, but that has had to be postponed.
"It really is a labor of love, it's hard work, last year we were doing it in pretty much in a blizzard, there was a group of 30 of us hauling Christmas trees all the way across the beach.
"We dig a trench, and then put them in upright, so half of them are still sticking out of the sand, and making this natural wall to trap the sand.
"We started the project last year and so far we've saved 2,000 tonnes of sand in the network, so hopefully this year we'll be able to do just as much, if not even better."
Emily Stevenson, Beach Guardian
Emily says that not only does the natural Christmas tree 'wall' help to prevent erosion, it also helps protect against flooding and protects the blue carbon ecosystems.
"Sand dunes are absolutely critical ecosystems, they provide a really essential buffer between land and sea, not just limiting coastal erosion but this also protects us against flooding.
"But they also contribute to blue carbon, so blue carbon is the carbon dioxide stored in coastal and marine ecosystems. We all know the dangers of greenhouse gasses and climate change, and it's thought that blue carbon stores, so the ocean itself, has stored one third of carbon emissions since the industrial revolution.
"So it's essential that we keep these blue carbon ecosystems as protected as possible, so keeping sand dune systems protected, so we can keep storing carbon as well as protecting ourselves against flooding."
Emily Stevenson, Beach Guardian