Central Kentucky 's effort to increase the number of trees celebrates 20 years this weekend. Hundreds of volunteers are needed to participate in Reforest the Bluegrass at Masterson Station Park Saturday.
Lexington Senior Forestry Program Manager John Saylor says seedlings will be planted between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. “Trees are the only thing infrastructure wise that you can do that will grow in value over its life. Everything else depreciates and degrades and trees actually, the longer they live the longer they provide those benefits. It’s like compound interest. They provide more and more each year,” said Saylor.
Over the past 19 years, more than 15 ,000 volunteers have planted some 136,000 tree seedlings, restoring 185 acres of floodplains. Saylor says 25 species of trees will be planted. The benefits of trees include cleaner air, less storm water runoff, and providing habit for wildlife.?
The Lexington forestry official says some 15 hundred people participated in the tenth anniversary plantings. That day about 7000 seedlings were in the ground before noon.
