In Katrina’s Aftermath: Trees for Homes and Communities

Hurricane Katrina’s brutal blow to the Gulf Coast region resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of trees. Old live oak trees – the majestic, over-a-century-old symbols of New Orleans and the southern U.S. – were uprooted. Many of the beautiful, large bald cypress trees that cover much of the bayou area were toppled as the fierce wind and rain blew.

As the area begins to recover, The Arbor Day Foundation is committed to helping restore trees in the Gulf Coast region. In partnership with the National Audubon Society, the Foundation has launched a special campaign to provide trees to the devastated areas: the Katrina Tree Recovery Campaign.

The goal of the campaign is to help communities and residents who have suffered the loss of their vital trees and tree canopy. For each $10.00 donated, the Foundation will send 10 seedling trees to Katrina victims to be planted at their homes or in their community. Packages of 10 seedling trees native to impacted areas will be sent to distribution sites in March 2006.

Trees are essential to quality of life. As Gulf Coast neighborhoods rebuild, the trees they receive through the Katrina Tree Recovery Campaign will add beauty and many other benefits that only trees can provide, restoring pride in communities and homes. As they grow, the trees will help hold soil in place to prevent erosion, improve air quality, provide habitat for wildlife, create shade and windbreaks, and help lower energy costs.

Your donation to help restore trees in the Gulf Coast will help ensure that the residents of these devastated communities enjoy all of the environmental and economic benefits that trees provide, now and in the future. To contribute to the Katrina Tree Recover Campaign, contact Kevin Sander, Corporate Marketing Director, at The Arbor Day Foundation, at (402) 473-9543 or ksander@arborday.org.

Bayer Advanced Helps Replant National Forests

America’s National Forests have experienced recent devastation due to wildfires, disease and insects. Red oak borers, longhorn beetles, emerald ash borers and their friends create havoc, damaging hundreds of thousands of trees each year.

Bayer Advanced, the consumer lawn and garden business unit of Bayer CropScience LP that knows all about trees and bugs, is teaming up with The Arbor Day Foundation to help National Forests replace trees that have been destroyed by insect infestations and fires. A spring 2006 promotion will support the Foundation’s reforestation efforts in our treasured National Forests.

Bayer Advanced will make a donation to the Foundation for every 32 oz. bottle of Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control and every bag of Tree & Shrub planting mix sold during this special promotion. Each dollar donated will plant one tree in a forest area that has been damaged by wildfire, insect infestation, or disease.

Bayer Advanced’s contribution will help the Foundation expand our replanting efforts in damaged forests across the country. The trees Bayer helps plant will provide shade, erosion control, clean air, wildlife habitat, and beauty for this and future generations to enjoy. Our thanks to Bayer Advanced for their tremendous support of the Foundation’s mission and tree-planting programs and their commitment to creating a healthier, greener earth!

Celebrate Arbor Day with a spring promotion! Contact Kevin Sander at ksander@arborday.org to discuss how to promote your products and services with a tree-planting program!

Local Arbor Day Celebrations

Looking for a meaningful way to make a positive impact in communities where your employees and customers live? Consider sponsoring a local Arbor Day celebration to revitalize a park or public area in your city or town that needs trees. The Arbor Day Foundation can help you plan an event to include speakers, activities for children, volunteer opportunities for your employees, and, of course, planting trees. Your event will be a focused around a planting project to beautify the community and add many other benefits that only trees can provide. The trees you plant will:

• Moderate summer heat and wind.
• Decrease utility costs.
• Reduce need for burning fossil fuels.
• Reduce noise.
• Provide food and habitat for songbirds and other wildlife.
• Decrease erosion.
• Absorb carbon dioxide and clean the air.
• Beautify homes and communities.
• Increase property values.

Sponsoring a local Arbor Day celebration and tree-planting project will increase your visibility and generate terrific public relations for your company, placing you in the spotlight as an environmentally conscious corporate citizen. Your employees will take great pride in the good work you do for the neighborhoods where they live. And the trees you plant will serve as a beautiful, generous gift that will benefit everyone in the community for many years to come.
To sponsor a local Arbor Day event, contact Kevin Sander at ksander@arborday.org or (402) 473-9543. We look forward to helping you plan your community event!