The Texas Tree Recovery Campaign, a partnership between the Arbor Day Foundation and Tree Folks, planted 11,500 new trees with a project that began February 1 along the Blanco River.
The project was done thanks to the generous financial support of Google. These new trees planted by Google employees will accelerate the recovery of the Blanco River ecosystem that was gravely damaged during the 2015 Memorial Day Floods.
“We’re grateful to Google for becoming a steward of our nation’s forests,” said Dan Lambe, Arbor Day Foundation president. “Our forests are part of the long and important legacy of the people and the land of our country. Thanks to the support of Google and its employees, thousands of trees have been planted to help clean the air, protect water resources, and restore habitat and beauty to an area that has suffered devastation.”
Arbor Day Foundation’s Community Tree Recovery, a national program underwritten by FedEx and foundation members, aims to replace trees in communities affected by natural disasters throughout the United States.
The program has assisted dozens of communities with the planting or distribution of more than 4.5 million trees since its inception in 2012.
“Google Austin is so excited to work alongside the Arbor Foundation and Tree Folks to jumpstart this restoration effort. We take pride in the community we call home and want the great state of Texas to remain a place that everyone can enjoy. Google volunteers were eager to get their hands dirty and wanted to do their part to help bring the Blanco River back to life,” said Gerardo Interiano, Head of External Affairs Southwest Region.
During Memorial Day weekend of 2015 the Blanco River region experienced vast flooding.
This event is part of Trees for the Blanco, which accelerates recovery of the Blanco River ecosystem by providing comprehensive reforestation services to landowners affected by the flooding.
This is a multi-year reforestation campaign to plant a diversity of native species along the Blanco in Hays County. Volunteers planted seedlings which provide important environmental benefits to the Hays County community and will help reduce damage from future flood events.
“In the months since the devastating Memorial Day floods, our community has shown its incredible resilience,” said State Rep. Jason Isaac (R-Dripping Springs). “I’m grateful to these outstanding nonprofits for stepping up to help replenish native trees and keep the banks of the Blanco River a beautiful and stable ecosystem.”
To donate to the recovery efforts supported by this campaign or other across the country please visit www.arborday.org/recovery.
