By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

CHELSEA – More than 1,000 native seedlings will be waiting on people to claim them in Chelsea later this month.

The seedlings will be given away free of charge at the city’s 17th annual Arbor Day Celebration on Saturday, Feb. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Chelsea Recreational Park on Shelby County 39.

“We just encourage people to take as many as they want,” Chelsea Tree Commission member Judy Cain said. “They should try one of each.”

Types of seedlings, which range from 18-24 feet long, will include black gum, bald cypress, red maple, redbud, white dogwood and pin oak, Cain said.

In addition, drawings will be held for various container trees from Hanna’s Garden Shop to be given away, along with T-shirts, reusable grocery bags and panda ink pens made of bamboo wood, a fast-growing, sustainable resource.

“We like it because it’s called a renewable resource,” Cain said of the bamboo. “We try to bring in something educational every year that’s a little bit different.”

Coloring books, crayons, pens, pencils and more will be provided for children.

Refreshments and information about caring for trees will be available.

The free event celebrates Chelsea as a Tree City USA location. Mayor Earl Niven and other city leaders were instrumental in securing the designation, Cain said.

“It is important for the people of the city to know that instead of getting rid of trees, we would like to keep healthy trees around as much as possible,” Cain said. “We need to replant these things.”

The Chelsea Tree Commission has planted trees at each of Chelsea’s schools and the recreation park.

According to the Arbor Day Foundation’s website, communities achieve Tree City USA status by meeting four core standards of sound urban forestry management, including maintaining a tree board or department, having a public tree care ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and observing Arbor Day.

Members of the Chelsea Tree Commission include: Mavis Efferson, Sharon Johnson and Katie Griffith.