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NewsOct 28, 2017
Baton Rouge Green Distributes 1,000 Free Trees to Flood Victims in Livingston Parish
The Louisiana Tree Recovery Campaign is a Partnership between Baton Rouge Green, The Arbor Day Foundation, Texas Roadhouse and FedEx
Denham Springs, LA, October 28, 2017 – Baton Rouge Green, in a partnership with The Arbor Day Foundation, Texas Roadhouse, and FedEx, distributed 1,000 free trees on Saturday, October 28th, to Livingston Parish residents. These new trees, in 3-gallon containers, will help to replace trees damaged and destroyed by the 2016 Flood.
“The 2016 Floods damaged homes, properties, and impacted our environment,” said Robert Seemann, program director of Baton Rouge Green. “With this tree giveaway, Baton Rouge Green hopes to help offset landscape damages and canopy loss in our area.”
The Louisiana Tree Recovery Campaign, an effort of Arbor Day Foundation’s Community Tree Recovery, a national program underwritten by FedEx and foundation members, aims to replace trees in communities affected by natural disasters throughout the United States. The program assisted more than 200 communities in planting or distributing more than 4.6 million trees since its inception in 2012.
Between August 11 and August 14, 2016, more than 20 inches of rain fell in the areas of Denham Springs and Baton Rouge, LA. This deluge led to the flooding of more than 60,000 homes and the loss of 13 lives. This tree distribution was designed to help these affected residents replace trees lost by the flooding.
“Trees are assets to a community when properly planted and maintained,” said Dan Lambe, president, Arbor Day Foundation. “They help to improve the visual appeal of a neighborhood or shopping district, increase property values by up to 18%, reduce home cooling costs, remove air pollutants, and provide wildlife habitat, among many other benefits.”
“At Texas Roadhouse, our community focus extends well beyond the four walls of our restaurants. We are honored to support the Arbor Day Foundation’s tree recovery program”, said Travis Doster, Senior Director of Public Relations at Texas Roadhouse.
“At FedEx, we recognize that our commitment to customers and communities extends beyond the packages we deliver,” said Jenny Robertson, director of Citizenship & Reputation Management at FedEx. “Through our giving platform FedEx Cares, we are proud to support the tree recovery program by helping restore forests while bringing healing and hope to communities hit hard by natural disasters.”
To donate to the recovery efforts supported by this campaign or other across the country please visit www.arborday.org/recovery. With your help, we can begin to restore this nation’s beautiful landscapes, including the state of Louisiana. Funding for this program has been provided by Texas Roadhouse and FedEx.
About the Arbor Day Foundation: The Arbor Day Foundation is a million member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.
Check out the press this great event received:
The Advocate
WAFB (w/ video)
WBRZ (w/video)