Soil and Water's Successful Seedling Sale Grows Educational Opportunities

Buncombe County Soil and Water raised more than $8,000 during its recent Tree Seedling Sale to benefit local environmental education programs. This was a record-breaking year for the Tree Seedling Sale with over 350 customers. Proceeds from the sale will go toward Buncombe County’s 20 environmental education programs.

During the sale, 4,700 seedlings and 5,200 bare root fruit were sold totaling 9,900 plants. “You can find these seedlings in other places, but not for these prices,” remarked a customer as they left with a bucket full of tree seedlings.

Some of the educational programs this seedling sale will benefit include:

• Free conservation programming available to all Buncombe County schools, including public, charter, private, and even home school.
• Spring and Fall Environmental Field Days in which 1,800 students participate in a six-day outdoor learning experience.
• Camp Wild, an environmental stewardship camp offered every summer to Enviro-thon students.
• Two scholarships for resource conservation workshops at North Carolina State University.
• And more.

This year, the sale featured Dogwood, Maple, Red Osler, River Birch, Sycamore, Willow Oak, Bartlett Pear, Crab Apple, Elderberry, Persimmon, Blackberry, Raspberry, Blueberry, Strawberry, and more. While the sales don’t happen on the same day every year, they happen around the same time, so make sure to keep an eye out next February and March for your next chance to fill your shopping bag, or bucket, full of tree seedlings for prices you can’t beat and for a good cause.

For more information you can visit buncombecounty.org/soil