Tree Giveaway to be Held in Louisville on February 26th
The Mississippi Community Tree Recovery Campaign plans to distribute new trees in devastated communities as the recovery process continues.
The City of Louisville has partnered with the Mississippi Forestry Commission and the National Arbor Day Foundation to offer the Mississippi Tree Recovery Campaign, in response to the tornado that hit the city on April 28, 2014. The tree giveaway is scheduled to take place on Friday, February 26, 2016, from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm at the Louisville Coliseum. The event will be hosted by the City of Louisville Parks and Recreation Department and the Winston County Master Gardeners. This (2016) will mark the second year that these organizations worked together to provide a diverse mix of native tree species to homeowners in Tupelo and Louisville.
When the EF4 tornado struck the Mississippi communities of Louisville and Tupelo, it left massive damage in its wake, and residents are still working to restore their neighborhoods. The shade, aesthetics, and other benefits lost from the damage to mature trees will take years to recover. The Mississippi Community Tree Recovery Campaign plans to distribute new trees in these devastated communities as the recovery process continues. Louisville Mayor Will Hill said, “Flowers and grass can be planted and replanted multiple times a year, but it takes 75 years to replace a 75-year-old tree once it has been lost. The City of Louisville wants to take the proper steps now – to ensure that our children, grandchildren, and the future citizens of Louisville have a healthy, thriving city full of trees.”
The Mississippi Forestry Commission and the National Arbor Day Foundation will continue their collaborative project to bring the Community Tree Recovery Campaign to the Cities of Louisville and Tupelo for the second year to provide their citizens with free seedlings.
The Mississippi Community Tree Recovery Campaign is a joint partnership between the Mississippi Forestry Commission and the Arbor Day Foundation. The goal of the Tree Recovery Campaign is to assist residents of storm-affected communities, by helping them replenish their urban tree canopy with native tree species during the recovery process.
