• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Volunteers to Plant 6,000 Longleaf Pines Along Gulf Coast in Three States

Posted on: Monday, 1 December 2008, 17:27 CST

Thousands of new longleaf pine seedlings will be planted this week as part of an effort to restore the natural habitat along the Gulf Coast, thanks to the TREE2 outreach arranged through an Ohio-based business in partnership with educators and volunteers.

Public parks and preserves that once boasted tall, thick forests of the native trees are targeted for restoration during the first week of December and in January, as some 6,000 six-inch young trees will be planted by a corps of volunteers in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

First scheduled is the Alabama planting, on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at Graham Creek Nature Preserve in Foley, Ala., and Thursday, Dec. 4, at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Ala.. Ceremonies are slated to begin at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Gulf State Park site.

Volunteers from Fairhope (Alabama) High School will plant 2,000 seedlings at the two locations in that state, under the direction of Margaret Sedlecky, Environmental Resources Teacher for Baldwin County Schools.

The TREE2 program, sponsored by American Modern Insurance Group of Cincinnati, was conceived as a dual-purpose conservation project. During the spring, the company promoted its paperless billing and payment system to policyholders, who enthusiastically signed up for the opportunity to "help save a tree." Customers who signed up were eligible for the company's TREE2 Honor Roll, with a new seedling planted in each customer's name.

"We'd planned this program as part tree conservation, and part tree restoration," said Natalie Green, Public Relations Manager for American Modern. "Hurricanes over the years have almost completely destroyed stands of the Gulf Coast's longleaf pines. We felt this area of the country was the logical place to start, considering the high profile losses delivered by hurricanes such as Katrina in 2005. There have been multiple projects to restore homes and businesses, and that is naturally a paramount concern. Helping to bring back an environment destroyed by catastrophic weather events has become our signature green initiative, a complementary step in the total restoration effort."

American Modern has joined its efforts to a number of organizations to complete the three-state planting program. Green cited in particular Mark J. Hainds, Research Coordinator for the Longleaf Alliance, an affiliate of Auburn University. "Mark Hainds and his organization have been instrumental in scheduling, logistics and educating us to the ways of the longleaf pine," Green said. "We're indebted for the alliance's dedication and help with this project."

For details on the TREE2 program's goals, visit http://www.amig.com/tree2/.

"American Modern has always been the company that continues to work for its customers after the claim is paid," noted Senior Vice President Dennis Robich. "TREE2 fills an important need in an area that is typically challenging to insurance providers. A company can hardly make a much more altruistic contribution than that."

About American Modern Insurance Group

American Modern Insurance Group, founded in 1965 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a provider of specialty insurance products and services. American Modern specializes in writing physical damage insurance and related coverages on manufactured housing and has expanded to other specialty insurance products including coverage for site-built homes, motorcycles, watercraft, snowmobiles, recreational vehicles, classic autos, and other products. American Modern serves 1.3 million policyholders nationwide, and is licensed in all 50 states. Additional information on the company can be found at www.amig.com.

American Modern and its parent, The Midland Company, were acquired by Munich Re America of Princeton, New Jersey, in May of 2008.

SOURCE American Modern Insurance Group

Source: PR Newswire

More News in this Category