I remember driving down my neighborhood streets this holiday season and seeing houses covered with decorations. Some had lights that mimicked icicles on snowy days. However, since California never has those distinct seasons, that will always be a fantasy dream: waking up to a white Christmas. Others had lights in the form of ornaments hanging from their roofs or trees. There were even some with inflatables shaped like Olaf, Santa Claus with his sleigh, and snowmen with gifts. I also enjoyed watching the lights that alternated colors, creating a little dance show in the bushes.
Sadly– as the holiday season comes to an end, the decorations slowly come off, the Christmas trees leave the houses, and the fresh smell of pines disappears. But what’s even more tragic is when people dump their trees on public or private property rather than properly dispose of them. This activity can harm the environment by facilitating the spread of invasive pest species and reducing the regeneration of healthy trees and plants since it will add an additional layer that can suffocate seeds and seedlings.
Both– reduced regeneration of plants and invasive species– threaten biodiversity. One directly decreases biodiversity since it is obstructing the growth of plants. While the other indirectly decreases other species' populations. Invasive species tend to be generalist species with a wide ecological tolerance range. This characteristic causes them to be highly adaptive and have a broad range of food sources. So when they are added to an ecosystem, they decrease the native species' food, hence dwindling the native population.
Please put your trees on the curbside for trash pickup providers to properly dispose of them or recycle them.
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