SARASOTA COUNTY — Sarasota County will celebrate National Arbor Day with a tree giveaway April 27 and 28, part of a local “Treejuvenation” program.

Individuals can visit any of five locations across the county on those dates to adopt a longleaf pine sapling for transplant, while supplies last.

“Longleaf pines used to be a dominant feature of the original Florida landscape,” said Marguerite Beckford, commercial horticulture agent with UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County . “But, because they are a high-value lumber resource, outside of designated regeneration and reforestation areas their numbers have considerably diminished.”

Arbor Day, observed nationally on the last Friday in April, highlights the key roles that trees play in our lives, from air cleansing to recreational opportunities. Sarasota County Extension’s “Treejuvenation” program builds on that through educational outreach, workshops, and other local efforts.

Adopt-a-sapling stations will be hosted by Sarasota County Extension and the county’s Planning and Development Services Department at the following Extension-operated Plant Clinics:

• April 27, 10 a.m. to noon:
  • UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, Twin Lakes Park, 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota
  • North Port Library, 13800 Tamiami Trail, North Port
  • Elsie Quirk Library, 100 W. Dearborn St., Englewood
• April 28, 10 a.m. to noon:
  • Fruitville Library, 100 Coburn Road, Sarasota
  • Venice Farmers Market, Tampa and Nokomis Avenues, Venice

To qualify, individuals must bring proof of their Sarasota County address and agree to participate in a follow-up survey by providing their name, mailing address and email address. Only one sapling will be supplied per physical address, and only while supplies last.

For more information, call the Sarasota County Contact Center at 941-861-5000 or visit www.scgov.net.