Boy Scouts of America collected Christmas trees left at the curb for its annual tree drive Saturday, a tradition dating back long before Sammamish was a city.

For the 31st annual Scouts Tree Drive, an estimated 150-200 Scouts from six troops based in Sammamish — troop 500, 509, 571, 596, 636 and 751 — hauled trees away from Plateau neighborhoods and the Issaquah Highlands, according to Allen Tantillo, the chair for the drive in Sammamish.

Another 125 adults — scout leaders, parents or “aged-out” Scouts (those who have outgrown the organization) — volunteered their time Saturday as well.

The fundraiser takes in roughly 2,200 Christmas trees in Sammamish, Tantillo estimated.

“For most of these troops, this is the major fundraiser of the year,” Tantillo said. “All the money goes to supporting the boys.”

Funds raised go toward the cost of Scout camp and other activities, like whitewater rafting, and the needed equipment for such trips, he said.

Scout leaders drove piles of trees to one of two sites in Sammamish where the trees would be fed through a chipper. The mulch the donated trees create will either go to the city of Sammamish for trails or to the city of Redmond’s recycling program.

“It all comes back to the communities,” said Mark Seminatore, Scouts committee chair for troop 636. Seminatore, of Sammamish, has two Boy Scouts; one just earned his Eagle.

The group worked from 8:45 a.m. until dusk, with an afternoon lunch break in between.