La. Forestry Association celebrates Arbor Day with free tree giveaway

The Town Talk staff reports
·1 min read

The Louisiana Forestry Association held their annual Arbor Day tree giveaway early Friday morning at their headquarters on MacArthur Drive. Arbor Day is celebrated on the third Friday in January in Louisiana.

"We have four species. We have sawtooth oak, American elm, green ash and persimmons," said Jeff Zeringue, media specialist with the LFA. "And those trees are thanks to ArborGen. We want to give a big thanks to them. Also, Louisiana Forest Seed in Woodworth has donated over 100 red maple trees and they are saplings. So they are larger trees."

Free Arbor Day seedlings have been provided by the LFA since 2004 to celebrate Arbor Day and promote the benefits of trees, state a news release.

The Louisiana Forestry Association held their annual Arbor Day tree giveaway early Friday morning at their headquarters on MacArthur Drive. Arbor Day is celebrated on the third Friday in January in Louisiana. "We have four species. We have sawtooth oak, American elm, green ash and persimmons," said Jeff Zeringue, media specialist with the LFA. "And those trees are thanks to ArborGen. We want to give a big thanks to them. Also, Louisiana Forest Seed in Woodworth has donated over 100 red maple trees and they are saplings. So they are larger trees." Free Arbor Day seedlings have been provided by the LFA since 2004 to celebrate Arbor Day and promote the benefits of trees, state a news release.

“A good way to look at planting hope for the future in the New Year is planting a tree,” stated. C.A. “Buck” Vandersteen, executive director of the LFA in the release. “And this is the best time of year to plant trees in Louisiana. That’s why we celebrate Arbor Day each January.”

The news release goes on to say that "Louisiana has 15 million acres of forested land. The renewable resource is the state's No. 1 crop, which can be harvested and replanted. The practice is called sustainable forestry, which the LFA promotes through its programs."

Arbor Day has been celebrated since 1872 when it began in Nebraska, states the release. It is now celebrated nationwide as a tree-planting day "to foster the ideals of conservation so that our forests will always be plentiful."

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: La. Forestry Association celebrates Arbor Day with tree giveaway