April 23 is Arbor Day Tree Give-Away

The Arbor Day Tree Seedling Giveaway on April 23 in Ashlands Central Park will include a special announcement at 11:00 a.m. about ACTCs new recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation.

The tree giveaway is from10:00 a.m. until all seedlings are gone. The Arbor Day seedling give-away is sponsored by the City of Ashland and the Kentucky Division of Forestry in conjunction with the Ashland Tree Board.

About 5,000 seedlings will be available in 15 varieties. Small varieties, growing from 20 to 30 feet tall, are Roughleaf Dogwood, Washington Hawthorne, Hazelnut, Pawpaw and Eastern Redbud. Medium varieties, growing to about 50 feet, are River Birch, Kentucky Coffeetree, Mulberry, Persimmon and Sassafras. Large varieties that can grow to 100 or more feet, are Bald Cypress, Southern Red Oak, Willow Oak, Pecan and White Pine.

We selected native trees, with an emphasis on those that are appropriate for urban environments, said Carrie Staumbaugh, a member of the Ashland Tree Board. We also picked varieties that are not highly susceptible to the plethora of tree pests and diseases we are seeing right now, like the Emerald Ash Borer or the other various blights, Staumbaugh added.

ACTC students and employees and volunteers from the Ashland Group Home will assist the Tree Board with the tree distribution.UK Extension Office Agent Lori Bowling will have information about planting and caring for trees, and an AEP representative will be available to answer questions about trimming trees under powerlines and what to plant there.

The distribution will be at the park end of Chuck Woolery Boulevard. The distribution is part of Ashlands urban forestry program, which has distributed more than 55,000 trees since its inception in the mid-1990s. This is the 21st year that Ashland has been recognized by the National Arbor Foundation as a Tree City.

For more information, contact Carrie Staumbaugh, email: carriestaumbaugh@gmail.com.