On Arbor Day, Bartlett Gave Away 20,000+ Tree Seedlings

Bartlett Tree Experts gave away between 20,000 and 25,000 tree seedlings in communities across the U.S. last Friday in honor of Arbor Day and the Bartlett Legacy Tree Program, which has distributed over 609,000 tree seedlings since its inception in 2014.

Celebrating its ninth anniversary this year, the Legacy Tree Program established by Bartlett Tree Experts aims to support tree planting and stewardship in local communities through the annual distribution of seedlings in schools, at events, and for reforestation efforts. During the first half of 2023, more than 65,000 trees are being distributed by Bartlett Tree Experts employees through the program. Many of those seedlings were handed out or planted in the Spring as part of Arbor Day and Earth Day festivities, events, and activities.

“Our Legacy Tree Program is all about bringing trees and people together,” said Patrick Franklin, who manages the program. “This is a great way for Bartlett Tree Experts to make a difference while giving back to our communities and improving the environment.”

With all of Bartlett’s 163 offices participating, the seedlings have been given away in over 30 U.S. states, three Canadian provinces, and numerous locations in the United Kingdom and Dublin, Ireland.

The goals of the program include raising awareness among school children of the benefits of planting trees and helping local communities reverse the increasing deficit of urban and suburban trees lost to development.

Since the inception of the Legacy Tree Program nine years ago, Bartlett Tree Experts has supported the planting of trees after natural disasters, as well as to help increase the urban tree canopy. “It’s gratifying to see our program making a difference each year,” Franklin said.

Under the Legacy Tree Program, the tree species are selected for distribution by geographic region with a focus on increasing the local diversity of native tree populations. Some common species being distributed this year include Bur Oak, Bald Cypress, Dawn Redwood, and Birch.

Read more about “Best Selling Landscape Plants & Trees.”