The Alabama Forestry Commission, in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Jasper and the City of Jasper, is providing 2,000 free seedlings to the public at the Walker County Farmers’ Market Saturday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., or until the trees are gone.

The trees to be distributed include Japanese maple, red maple, crepe myrtle, green ash, bald cypress, chickasaw plum, persimmon and several varieties of oak.

Bartley Wyers of the Alabama Forestry Commission will be available to answer questions about the proper planting and care of the trees.

“The most important things for these seedlings in the first year is to make sure they get plenty of water,” he said. “Some people even keep them in a pot for the first year just to be sure they get enough water.”

Wyers said the seedlings are grown at Wallace State Community College in Hancville and purchased by the Alabama Forestry Commission for distribution among Alabama’s 67 counties.

The Walker County AFC has taken the initiative to provide some of the seedlings to local second graders, teaching conservation and the importance of the forests to Alabama’s economy.

“The last full week of February we spent visiting schools and giving seedlings to second graders,” Wyers said. “We gave more than 1,000 trees to area students.”

Wyers said Matt McCullogh, the AFC’s urban forestry coordinator will also be available Saturday to answer questions about the trees being given away.

The Jasper Rotary Club teamed with the city and the AFC last year for a tree giveaway, which Wyers said was successful.

“We hope our new partnership with the Rotary Club will continue to grow,” he said. “We gave away a lot of trees last year, and we hope will have a big crowd this year.

The tree giveaway will be at the farmers’ market, which is located on Airport Road in Jasper.