Md. State Parks program seeks old Christmas trees for bird enrichment

WASHINGTON — You might look at an old Christmas tree at the curbside and think “recycling.” The folks at Maryland State Parks’ Scales and Tails programs look at that same tree and think “furniture.”

Ranger Sarah Milbourne, with the Department of Natural Resources, explains that recycled Christmas trees are used inside the aviaries at six state parks where the raptors in the Scales and Tails program are kept. Milbourne says the trees provide cover and enrichment for animals that came into the program because they were wounded, and can’t be returned to the wild.

Milbourne says the trees give the birds “greenery, protection, and a sense of the wild.”

Milbourne says the trees will be welcomed by the many raptors in the parks: two bald eagles; kestrels; and barred and barn owls. She says the tiny screech owls — they weigh less than 200 grams (about the same as a cup of sugar) — are especially fond of nestling into the trees.

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