Annual Arbor Day Tree Giveaway is Friday!

The LFA's annual Arbor Day Tree Giveaway is set for 7:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 21 with four species of bare root seedlings being given away as folks drive through the office's driveway at 2316 S. MacArthur Drive in Alexandria.

The Louisiana Forestry Association will give out Sawtooth Oak, American Elm, Green Ash and Persimmon tree seedlings to celebrate Arbor Day, which in Louisiana is the third Friday in January. The day is celebrated during the cool months.

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

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 began in Nebraska in 1872 and is celebrated nationwide as an annual tree-planting day to foster the ideals of conservation so that our forests will always be plentiful.

The Louisiana Forestry Association has offered Arbor Day seedlings for the public since 2004 as a way of celebrating Arbor Day and promoting the benefits of trees.

The Louisiana Forestry Association is a group of more than 4,000 members that includes forest landowners, foresters, loggers and others employed in the forest products industry. LFA’s mission is to further the practice of sustainable forestry.