News Release – 29 April 2021

The Company’s Bartlett Legacy Tree Programme Celebrates 7th Anniversary

April 29, 2021 – Stamford, CT – With the arrival of Arbor Day on Friday, April 30, 2021, Bartlett Tree Experts will give away more than 15,000 tree seedlings in communities across the U.S. These trees will be distributed as part of the Bartlett Legacy Tree Programme, which has distributed over 436,000 tree seedlings since its inception seven years ago.

The Legacy Tree Programme, celebrating its seventh anniversary, was established by Bartlett Tree Experts in 2014 to support tree planting and stewardship in local communities through the annual distribution of seedlings in schools, at events, and to reforestation efforts. In 2021, more than 50,000 trees will be distributed by Bartlett Tree Experts employees through the programme. More than one-third of those seedlings are handed out or planted in the spring, primarily as part of Arbor Day and Earth Day festivities, events, and activities in a variety of locations.

“We encourage each of our Arborist Representatives to distribute a minimum of 100 seedlings each year, and many are so enthusiastic about the programme that they go far beyond that number,” said Bartlett’s Patrick Franklin, who manages the programme. “Our Arborists enjoy interacting with the public and love teaching people about the importance of planting trees. They also decide how their trees will be distributed. It’s an amazing way to bring trees and people together, while making a difference to improve our environment.”

With all of Bartlett’s 120+ offices participating in the programme over the last seven years, the seedlings have been given away in over 30 U.S. states, three Canadian provinces, and numerous locations in greater London in the United Kingdom as well as Dublin, Ireland. Most community-based Arbor Day events were cancelled last year because of COVID-19, prompting Bartlett Arborist Representatives to get creative in distributing seedlings. Many events have resumed for 2021 with social distancing guidelines in place.

As in years past, seedlings will be personally distributed by Bartlett Tree Experts in recognition of Arbor Day to students, community groups, and local reforestation efforts. This year, Bartlett will be distributing seedlings for reforestation in Malden, Wash. The small town south of Spokane in eastern Washington was left in ruins after fast-moving wildfire swept through the region last year.

“We have always been involved in the planting of trees after natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, droughts and wildfires, as well as to help the urban tree canopy,” Franklin said. “We’ve helped plant white oaks to restore the West Linn Savanna in Oregon and we have been planting trees as part of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground, a four-state, 180-mile long region running from Gettysburg to Monticello, in Charlottesville, Virginia. These are the kinds of projects that our arborists have been involved with as part of the Legacy Tree Programme.”

The tree seedlings being distributed include a variety of native species, such as ponderosa pine, redbud, and dogwood. Species selection varies by geographic region with a focus on increasing the local diversity of native tree populations.

ABOUT BARTLETT TREE EXPERTS
The F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company was founded in 1907 by Francis A. Bartlett and is the world's leading scientific tree and shrub care company. The organisation's current chairman, Robert A. Bartlett Jr., represents the third generation of Bartlett family management. Bartlett provides services in 32 U.S. states, Canada, Ireland and Great Britain. The Company offers species-specific tree care services including pruning, pest and disease management, fertilisation and soil care, cabling and bracing, tree lightning protection systems, and tree/stump removal as well as tree inventory and management plans. Its corporate offices are located in Stamford, Connecticut.