That's because residents were responsible for planting the 20,000 tree seedlings at the city's largest park on the outskirts of Lexington. About 800 volunteers yesterday ignored the threat of rain under cloudy skies to participate in Reforest the Bluegrass. City officials say the tree-planting project, in its third year, is perhaps one of the nation's largest urban reforestation efforts using volunteers. Last year, volunteers planted more than 28,000 trees in another area of the 700-acre park. City officials said yesterday that about 75 percent of those trees have survived and some have grown taller than 6 feet.
Officials expect to return next year to plant more.
Since the first reforestation project was held in 1999 at Coldstream Research Park covering 70 to 80 acres, more than 1,800 volunteers have planted 58,000 trees along Fayette County creeks, restoring more than 95 acres of forest. The event attracts people of all ages, individuals, groups and families. The project didn't require much gardening skill. Organizers made the project simple enough for kids such as Elijah and Tyr Ferris, ages 6 and 4, respectively. Don said he brought the boys out to show them the importance of civic participation.