The Georgia Forestry Commission is giving away 60,000 tree seedlings statewide in celebration of the health and sustainability of Georgia forests and the movie, “The Lorax.” In conjunction with the release of Dr. Seuss’ classic tale about ecosystem awareness, the Georgia Forestry Commission will be distributing free seedlings grown at its Flint River nursery on the film’s opening day, Friday, March 2. In addition, beginning March 3, geocaching enthusiasts will be able to search for bags of tree seeds hidden in Georgia’s state parks.
“This is a great opportunity for Georgians to take pride in how healthy our state’s forests are,” said Robert Farris, Director of the Georgia Forestry Commission. “While the Lorax has trouble on his hands, we in Georgia have abundant, working forest lands cleaning our air and water, providing jobs, wildlife habitat and products, and being sustainably managed for generations to come.”
On March 2, Georgia Forestry Commission representatives will provide complimentary tree seedlings to patrons who’ve seen “The Lorax” at Georgia Theatre Company theatres, Carmike Cinemas and other theatres throughout the state. A coupon to exchange for the seedlings will be given to moviegoers when their ticket is purchased at the box office or online (while supplies last). GFC’s partners in conservation and education, the Georgia Forestry Association and the Georgia Forestry Foundation, made the purchase of seedlings for this special promotion possible.
The Georgia Forestry Commission is also collaborating with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to stock 43 state park geocaching locations with approximately 15 packs each of loblolly pine tree seeds. Geocaching is the popular recreational activity of hunting for and finding a hidden object by means of GPS coordinates posted on a website. A logbook is in each cache for finders to record a comment.