Norman gives out 900 trees to residents

BY JAMES S. TYREE Comments 0
Published: November 7, 2009

NORMAN — John Mitschell was so pleased with the tree he got last spring from the city of Norman that he picked up three more Friday.

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The three Chinese pistache he received — the third is for his daughter — were among the 900 trees ready to be picked up Friday at Reaves Park. Mitschell picked up a Shumard oak in April when the city gave away 855 trees.

"It’s doing fine, very well,” he said of the oak. "We’ll plant these trees and care for them and hope for the same result.”

City Forester Janay Greenlee and other Norman employees directed the latest giveaway with help from University of Oklahoma associate professor Charlie Warnken and some of his regional city planning students.

Greenlee said the Apache Foundation in Houston made both tree giveaway events possible by making two separate donation pledges of 1 million trees to cities and nonprofit organizations to reforest urban areas throughout the country.

Besides the public giveaways, the city of Norman also has received trees from the Apache Foundation to reforest Westwood and Griffin parks and other open spaces that were damaged by the December 2007 ice storm, and to replenish the city’s nursery.

The Friday event started at 7:30 a.m., but Greenlee said cars and trucks were lined up by 7 a.m. The initial rush lasted until 8:30 a.m., though smaller waves ebbed and flowed throughout the morning.

Unlike the April giveaway that was first-come, first-served, people had to pre-register online to pick up a tree Friday.

"People came in and had their confirmation, they drove through, picked up their tree and then went on their way,” Greenlee said. "It worked very well.”