Mayor Ravenstahl announced today that on Monday, April 28, he will partner with Giant Eagle and Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest (FPUF) to hand out 1,000 free Frazier fir tree seedlings.

Residents are encouraged to attend the “Great Tree Giveaway” held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Construction Junction, one of the City’s recycling drop-off centers, at 214 N. Lexington Street in Point Breeze. Residents may obtain up to 10 free trees, and may drop-off any recyclable item, in particular, unused phone books.

“I encourage all residents who haven’t already planted a tree to make Monday the day they unearth ground in their communities,” Mayor Ravenstahl said. “Whether it’s digging dirt in your very own yard, or recycling an unused phone book, let’s enhance our quality of life now and for future generations.”

The seedlings, donated by Giant Eagle and Kraft Foods, are ideal yard trees and easy to plant and maintain.

“Through the great work of Treevitalize Pittsburgh, and generous donations from the private sector community, more trees are being planted in our City than ever before,” Mayor Ravenstahl said.

Green education materials, including a comprehensive analysis indicating the importance of trees to the City’s infrastructure, as well as information on the City’s new recycling initiatives, will also be distributed at the give-away.

“It is our goal to educate citizens on how important trees are to the environment, and to the health of our City’s infrastructure,” said Danielle Crumrine, executive director for FPUF. “Citizens will leave with educational information that will show in dollars and cents the value we receive by doing our part to plant just one tree.”