Some old Christmas trees will be finding a new life on the beaches of South Padre Island.

City Manager Dewey Cashwell is behind a pilot program to use discarded trees to stabilize sand dunes affected by recent hurricanes.

Cashwell says the Public Works Department will place and stake the trees in such a way that a dune would form from blowing sand.

He told the Island Breeze that the department will help the process along by pushing sand on the trees.

Only trees from the Laguna Madre area will be allowed in the pilot program.

Cashwell says South Padre Island will invite private beachfront property owners to participate.

The town will also use hay bales and fences to nourish dunes to compare the two methods.