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TAHLEQUAH, OK - The Cherokee Nation has distributed more than 2,500 trees to individual employees to commemorate National Arbor Day as part of the nation’s ongoing conservation efforts.

Cherokee Nation employees line up for their share of more than 2,500 Loblolly Pine seedlings.

The Cherokee Nation’s Natural Resources department has been distributing Loblolly Pine seedlings for ten years.

“I wanted the Loblolly Pine seedlings for shade,” said Gaylon Thompson, who took home a bundle of six tiny trees, which can grow up to 50 feet in height. “In the next twenty years, I hope the pine seedlings help me to conserve on my energy bill.”

The annual seedling giveaway is just a small fraction of the Cherokee Nation’s reforesting effort. As part of an ongoing project to develop timber on tribal lands, the Cherokee Nation has planted 120,000 Loblolly Pine seedlings in Delaware and Adair counties this spring.

“This is just another way for the Cherokee Nation to show our commitment to preserving the beauty and value of our tribal lands,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “These small seedlings will be here long after we’re gone. They are an investment in making a better, cleaner environment for future generations.”

For information about the Cherokee Nation Natural Resources department call (918) 456-0671, ext. 2434 or 2340.