Public Communications serves as a communications link between the city of Columbia’s municipal government and the citizens. The Public Communications Office coordinates several programs that are designed to link citizens with their city government.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Leigh Britt, Volunteer Coordinator - (573) 874-7504 or Chad Herwald, Forester - (573) 874-7520

Arbor Day tree giveaway will be held Saturday, April 4

COLUMBIA, MO (March 26, 2009) - City of Columbia TreeKeeper volunteers and Columbia Parks & Recreation will honor Missouri Arbor Day with a tree giveaway on Saturday, April 4. Seven hundred bare-root seedlings will be given away beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the parking lot of the ARC, 1701 West Ash.

TreeKeeper volunteers and Parks & Recreation Department forestry staff will be on hand to distribute the seedlings to the public and answer any tree questions. Seven species of trees will be available, including redbud, pin oak, tulip poplar, pitch loblolly pine, black gum, flowering dogwood, short leaf pine and white oak. Members of the public may take two trees of different species.

TreeKeeper volunteers participate in a course on tree identification, planting, pruning and other management topics and are then asked to volunteer on tree projects in Columbia’s city parks and along trails and rights of way. In 2008, 54 TreeKeepers gave 507 hours of service to the city valued at nearly $10,000.

The next TreeKeepers class will begin in early 2010. To find out more about the tree giveaway or volunteering with the city of Columbia, call the Office of Volunteer Services at 874-7499 or visit www.GoColumbiaMo.com.

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