Why This Maine Beach Really Really Needs Your Christmas Trees

Christmas has come and gone, and you're probably taking down your tree soon if you haven't already.

But instead of just tossing it out like used trash, there's something you can do with it that has a huge and positive impact.

Sort of like keeping the festive cheer going but in a new way.

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry posted on its Facebook page about how it needs your Christmas trees.

Turns out, according to the department, your trees could help with dune erosion at Popham Beach in Phippsburg, Maine.

The undecorated trees -- please take all your ornaments and lights off before you bring them to the beach -- are perfect for this endeavor because their "multiple branches and needles quickly catch windblown sand and have been used successfully in many other coastal states to help rebuild eroded sand dunes. And Popham Beach, with its exposure to daily onshore and side-shore winds, is the perfect location to use trees to trap sand," the department stated.

Putting all the Christmas trees in rows near the upper portion of the beach will trap the sand and help the dunes grow, along with grass regrowth and expansion, the Facebook post stated.

This is not the first place to try using Christmas trees to help with the eroding dunes.

A quick Google search will reveal that numerous beaches have been trying this effort out, from Willard Beach in South Portland down to North Carolina.

Want to use your tree to help out?

Simply bring it to Popham Beach from now through January (9 a.m. to sunset daily) to the drop-off spot "near the West bath house, located on the right side of the parking lot," the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry said.

And don't worry. There will be signs that direct you to where you need to go when you get to Popham.

From tinsel to tides, it's time to transform your Christmas tree into a sandy savior.