Florida Arbor Day Tree Seedling Giveaway

In celebration of Florida Arbor Day, the UF/IFAS Extension Florida Master Gardeners Martin County Program will be offering a tree seedling giveaway on Saturday, January 20, 2018, from 9:00 to 11:45 a.m. at the UF/IFAS Extension Martin County Office, located at 2614 SE Dixie Highway in Stuart. Seedlings are being offered thanks to a donation from Val Martin of Florida Classics Library. UF/IFAS Extension will offer information about the trees and how to best care for them after planting. No advance reservations please. Tree seedlings will be available on a first-come, first-served basis the day of the event.

Why Plant Trees?

It has been more than 130 years since J. Sterling Morton founded Arbor Day, and his simple idea of setting aside a special day for tree planting is now more important than ever. Properly sited trees can reduce energy costs through shading, provide wildlife habitat, reduce erosion and stormwater runoff, sequester greenhouse gas emissions, and increase property values. As January is the optimal time to plant trees across the state, Florida Arbor Day is celebrated on the third Friday in January.

Photo by Eric Zamora UF/IFAS

Sand Pine

A Florida native pine tree, sand pine (Pinus clausa) grows well in our often sandy, nutrient-poor soils and offer habitat for wildlife https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/nassauco/2015/09/16/what-can-you-tell-me-about-the-florida-sand-pine/. Sand pines are small- to medium-sized trees and they have conical crowns, which makes them a Floridian Christmas tree option, with proper shearing. As they mature, the trunk and branches often grow in a curving manner, lending a picturesque, bonsai-like appearance. The sand pines to be offered at this year’s Arbor Day event are the Choctawhatchee variety (Pinus clausa var. immuginata), sourced from the Florida Forest Service. Choctawatchee sand pine survives transplanting well and therefore is often planted for habitat restoration. Sand pine scrub habitats are in decline in Florida, due to development, but local examples can be found at Doc Meyers Park, Halpatiokee Park, Maggie’s Hammock, Twin Rivers Park, Haney Creek Park, Kiplinger, Peck Lake Park, Gomez, Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Savannas State Park, Hobe Sound Nature Center, and other public parks. Visit https://www.martin.fl.us/parksandrec and https://discovermartin.com/see-do/ecotourism/ to learn more.

0


Posted: January 9, 2018


Category: Agriculture, Horticulture



Comments:

Nelson Merchan-Cely
March 2, 2021

Muy interesante la exposicion del problema. Seria maravilloso presentar la forma en que ese problema se solucionaria. Los lideres de cada comunidad pueden ayudar muchisimo a promover la vinculacion al Seguro de Salud. Dada la importancia del trabajador agricola con mayor razon motivarlos para que participen en su promocion. Dios les bendiga. Nelson Merchan-Cely Presidente, Hispanics in Action, Inc.

Carl Frost
August 26, 2020

Next blog post on Florida farms send me a link and I'll share on our farm Facebook page.

Barbara McAdam
July 29, 2020

Very timely blog! Many of us noted irrigation systems running on our way into work last week during heavy rain. The irrigation systems were in shopping centers with large parking lots which can easily flood and the irrigation contributed to larger areas being flooded out and not available for parking. New design recommendations for large expanses of parking areas is much needed and UF/IFAS/Extension has information that can be developed to provide concise details and examples for codes to be developed. something to work on as flooding and drought events are becoming more common.

Kim Bentz

July 29, 2019

Hello Janet, The next Master Gardener Training will be January 2020. You may contact the coordinator, Jennifer Pelham, 772-288-5654 for more information. We look forward to adding another member to our Master Gardener Family. Best regards, Kim

Yvette Goodiel

November 20, 2018

Hi Ruth, Our 2019 tree giveaway will be held on Saturday, January 19th. Please keep checking our website and Facebook for more information. You may also contact our new Master Gardener Coordinator and County Extension Director, Jennifer Pelham, at 772-288-5654. Yvette

Ruth Fox
November 18, 2018

, RuthYvette: Will you be having a seedling giveaway in 2019? Do you have a calendar of events for 2019? Thank You Ruth

Carl Frost
July 15, 2018

Welcome to the 4H neighborhood Natalie!

Kim Bentz

July 10, 2018

Hello Janet, The Master Gardener Program in Martin County will begin the application process this Fall 2018 with an early 2019 class start. Please contact our office at 772-288-5654 for more information. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Janet Raider
June 29, 2018

Will you be offering a Master Gardener class anytime soon? I was a Master Gardener in Fayette County, KY, and am interested in taking the course in Martin County.

Comments are closed.

Subscribe For More Great Content

IFAS Blogs Categories