Hundreds attended the city’s yearly tree planting festival at Jacobson Park, many accompanied by volunteers demonstrating how to get trees in the ground.
With about five thousand saplings to plant and sunny weather, Program Manager for Urban Forestry Heather Wilson says she hopes to have all of them planted.
"They can plant as many as they want. Some people only have a little bit of time and just want to come put one tree in the ground. Some will be out here with us all day long. It's families, it's little children all the way up to grandparents. Some of them have been coming for multiple generations. It's part of their kind family history."
Also at the event was an informational tent with different Lexington groups displaying information on trees, insects and nature. A band was also at the event to play live music as people planted trees.
Ben Halada came to Reforest the Bluegrass with his 8-year-old son Elias, he says he has been coming to the event with his son for four years and that they enjoy contributing to Lexington’s forests.
"The city needs more trees and they're aesthetically good, they're good us. Because all they're doing is adding buildings and buildings don't provide oxygen. They provide, hmm, they provide smoke and yeah, smoke. And the more trees you plant, the more trees you can climb in the later years."
Reforest the Bluegrass has taken place at Jacobson Park before in 2008. This year’s planting took place next to the groups of trees from previous years, which have now grown into a forest.
Saplings not planted will be given away or distributed at the city’s next tree planting event, Reforest at Home, where Fayette County residents can pick up saplings to plant at their homes.