By Esther Godson
Special to The SUN
Plant-A-Tree holiday gift certificates are now on sale at San Juan National Forest offices for the person on your Christmas list who has everything.
“Each $20 donation to the Plant-a-Tree Program will result in 10 seedlings being planted locally to help reforest burned areas of the National Forest,” said Gretchen Fitzgerald, San Juan National Forest reforestation forester. “This covers our costs to collect, store and grow native seeds, then ship and plant the seedlings.”
Donors to the program receive a certificate, which can be presented as a gift and is suitable for framing on behalf of a person or family. Donations can be made at most San Juan National Forest offices by cash, check or credit card. The purchase is considered a charitable donation by the IRS. Contributions cannot be refunded.
The U.S. Forest Service established the Plant-A-Tree Program in 1983 to allow donors to contribute money toward reforestation on national forests to memorialize loved ones or commemorate births, weddings or special events, while helping to improve the environment. Seedlings planted with the donations are not designated on the ground as a memorial or individually recognized, but instead become part of the forest ecosystem.
For more information, contact the San Juan National Forest at 247-4874.
