VDOF Donates 32,000 Tree Seedlings

The Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) partnered with several non-profit/not-for-profit organizations this spring to get more than 30,000 tree seedlings planted across the Commonwealth.

Using tree seedlings grown at the agency’s Augusta Forestry Center, VDOF donated 32,000 hardwoods to the following organizations: National Wild Turkey Federation; Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay; Ducks Unlimited, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Members of these groups planted the trees to further their organizations’ missions of enhancing wildlife habitat and/or protecting the Bay from further pollution.

“We welcomed the opportunity to work with the Virginia Department of Forestry,” said Robin Clark, president of the Virginia state chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. “The tree seedlings our members planted will improve the habitat in several areas of the state for both wild turkey and deer.”

Each year, the Virginia Department of Forestry’s two nurseries grow and sell more than 32 million tree seedlings to Virginians.

State Forester Carl E. Garrison III said, “This partnership enabled us to get another 32,000 trees into the ground that otherwise wouldn’t have been planted.  Each one of these trees will contribute to the quality of life in the Commonwealth. From clean air and clean water to recreational activities and enhanced wildlife habitat, trees provide all of these ecosystem services and more.”

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The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, the Agency has forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.

With nearly 16 million acres of forest land and more than 144,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $27.5 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.