Friday, March 5, 2010

Man Donates 100,000 Trees In Memory of Father

Click To Read Original Article From WKRN.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A Middle Tennessee man is giving away 100,000 trees to honor his father and to make the state a greener place to live.
Chris Clark's life is deeply rooted in his love for trees.
"Can't tell you how many trees I've looked at in my life," he said. "I mean they do so much more than provide us with the aesthetic beauty."
Clark inherited that love from his father, Steve Clark, who founded the family's landscape engineering business, Steve Clark & Associates.
His father died six years ago, on the first day of spring.
Clark said, "I can't remember a time in my life where he wouldn't ask me, ‘Do you know why I do what I do?'  Of course I knew, but I would say, ‘Why?' and he would say, ‘I do it for you, for your children and their children.'"
To honor his father and celebrate the business' 35th anniversary, Clark has decided to share his love of trees with his fellow Tennesseans.
Eight different tree species have been delivered to more than 10 distribution centers across the state and each county will get 600 to 1,000 trees.
To plant the trees, Clark aims to get volunteers, children, public and private developments, universities, and others involved in the grassroots effort.
"I haven't asked for any money from anybody. I'm trying to do this by myself.  My sponsorship is bodies. It's Tennesseans going out and planting these trees," he said.
Doug Hoskin with the Cumberland River Compact is taking a couple thousand of the trees to plant along local stream banks.
"Right away, those trees may not seem that significant," Hoskin said, "but later on, you're basically planting something that is going to be there for generations."
It's more about growing environmentally-conscious people than it is about growing trees.
"The trees are really just a symbol, it's a way for people to put aside something for a minute and think about something bigger than them selves," Clark said.
If you would like some of the free trees for a neighborhood, corporate or campus project, contact Steve Clark & Associates or in Nashville, Jeffrey Ezell at 615-880-2419.

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