Over its two-and-a-half decades, the event has seen roughly 18,000 volunteers plant more than 215,000 seedlings and restore more than 200 acres of floodplain.
Heather Wilson with Urban and Community Forestry says this year is a kind of homecoming for Reforest the Bluegrass on Saturday, April 13.
"We are doing full circle. We'll be back at Coldstream Park, which was the location of our very first Reforest the Bluegrass back in 1999," she says. "Ideally, I'm gonna order up some really great weather for us."
And the program’s goals are no less ambitious this year, with organizers hoping to plant between 8,000 to 10,000 seedlings. Whatever doesn’t get planted will go back to the nursery to be shared with the community the following week for what’s known as Reforest at Home.
"So our residents can come pick up trees between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on April 20," Mayor Linda Gorton explains. "You can pick them up at the Living Arts and Science Center, Shilito Park, and Jacobson Park. Take them home and plant them."
Both large shade tree seedlings and small flowering tree seedlings will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, with a limit of two small trees and five trees total per household.
More information on Reforest the Bluegrass is at lexingtonky.gov/reforest.
