To thank them for their service, the Virginia Department of Forestry is offering military veterans a 15 percent discount on their tree seedling orders the week of Nov. 6 – 10.
“Our veterans have done so much for our nation, and we want to express our appreciation in a meaningful way,” said Bettina Ring, state forester of Virginia. “Next week, they will be able to choose from more than 45 species of trees and save money on their purchases.”
To see which species of trees are available, veterans may log on to www.buyvirginiatrees.com. Once they know the species and quantities they wish to purchase, they can call the Augusta Forestry Center at 540.363.7000 to place their orders. To receive the discount, a copy of either a Commonwealth of Virginia veterans’ ID card, a U.S. military retiree ID card or a Department of Defense form 214 must accompany the order.
Virginia’s two tree seedling nurseries are self-supporting and receive no tax dollars for their operations. These nurseries grow and sell more than 33 million tree seedlings annually for planting on land in the Commonwealth.
The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, the Agency has forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide citizen service and public safety protection across the Commonwealth, which it’s been doing now for more than 100 years. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.
With 16 million acres of forestland and nearly 108,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide an overall economic output of more than $21.5 billion annually.
-Submitted by John W. Campbell Jr., Director of Public Information
