News Release – April 22, 2019

The Company’s Bartlett Legacy Tree Program Celebrates 5th Anniversary

April 22, 2019 – STAMFORD, CONN. – On Arbor Day, Friday, April 26, 2019, Bartlett Tree Experts will give away 21,000 tree seedlings in communities across the U.S.  These trees will be distributed as part of the Bartlett Legacy Tree Program, which has distributed over 310,000 seedlings since its inception five years ago.

Seedlings planted as part of a reforestation project at Old Westbury Gardens in Old Westbury, New York. One of many efforts that have benefited from the Bartlett Legacy Tree Program.

The Legacy Tree Program, celebrating its fifth anniversary, was established by Bartlett Tree Experts in 2014 to support tree planting and stewardship in local communities through the annual distribution of seedlings in schools, at events, and to reforestation efforts.  In 2019, a total of 75,000 trees will be distributed by Bartlett Tree Experts employees.  Nearly one-third of those seedlings will be handed out or planted as part of this year’s Arbor Day festivities, events and activities in a variety of locations.

“We encourage every one of our Arborist Representatives to distribute a minimum of 100 seedlings each year,” said Bartlett’s Patrick Franklin who manages the program. “Our Arborists decide how their trees will be distributed.  They love participating because they get to network and meet new people while also promoting the importance of tree planting.  It really has been an amazing way to bring trees and people together.”

With all of Bartlett’s 120+ offices participating in the program over the last five years, the seedlings have been given away in over 30 U.S. states, three Canadian provinces, and numerous locations in greater London in the United Kingdom as well as Dublin, Ireland.  

“To name a few, we’ve helped plant white oaks to restore the West Linn Savanna in Oregon and distributed thousands at the Philadelphia Flower Show with visitors returning to see us year after year.  At one event, 300 seedlings were gone in only 45 minutes!,” stated Franklin. “No matter where we are, people love receiving the trees and seeing we have a program in place to help the urban tree canopy.”

The tree seedlings include a variety of native species with the top three being dogwood, redbud and swamp white oak.  Species selection varies by geographic region with a focus on increasing the local diversity of native tree populations.    

About Bartlett Tree Experts
The F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company was founded in 1907 by Francis A. Bartlett and is the world's leading scientific tree and shrub care company. The organization's current chairman, Robert A. Bartlett Jr., represents the third generation of Bartlett family management. Bartlett provides services in 32 U.S. states, Canada, Ireland and Great Britain. The Company offers species-specific tree care services including pruning, pest and disease management, fertilization and soil care, cabling and bracing, tree lightning protection systems, and tree/stump removal as well as tree inventory and management plans. Its corporate offices are located in Stamford, Connecticut.