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CLARKSDALE, Miss., September 1, 2006 — According to an old English proverb, “He that plants trees loves others besides himself.”
If that statement holds true, Sam Hobart must have a large heart.
Hobart, the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee Board Forester, oversees the harvesting of between 300,000 and 400,000 hardwood seedlings annually at a seven-acre nursery owned and operated by YMDLB.
Out of this harvest, 60,000 seedlings are given away to public and private entities.
In addition, 5,000 seedlings are given to each Natural Resource Conservation office in nine of the 10 counties represented by YMDLB, for a total of 45,000 trees.
The YMDLB Forestry Program began only three years ago; this March will mark Hobart’s third crop. Working out of a nursery in Coahoma County, YMDLB employees are responsible for the growth and upkeep of nine different tree varieties, including persimmon, cypress, magnolia, cherry bark oak, willow oak and water oak.
“We started completely from scratch out here,” Hobart said. “We didn’t have anything but a dream.”
From September to December, seeds are collected and cleaned then stored in cool storage until March, when they are put in the ground. After the seedlings are lifted the following January, they are put directly back onto YMDLB properties or saved for giveaway programs. Most planting is done before the end of February — before the spring rains.
In 2005, YMDLB teamed up with Take Pride in Mississippi, a public endeavor organized by Governor Haley Barbour that aims to seek, support and recognize volunteers who work to improve our natural and cultural resources, in giving away hardwood trees at the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Expo in Canton. The YMDLB plans to take part in the 2006 Expo, which will be held in February in conjunction with Arbor Day.
Hobart and his crew plant between 600 and 1,000 acres of trees per year to reforest YMDLB property.
“Our goal is to eventually produce a half million seedlings annually,” said Hobart. “We also hope to take some seedlings to the Mississippi Gulf Coast when they are ready.”
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