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September 2, 2009
MFI at the Great Minnesota Get Together!
Fair goers crowd around the Minnesota Forest Industries booth in the Education Building to receive their red pine seedlings.
WCCO Radio’s Mike Lynch joins MFI Vice President of Forest Policy Tim O’Hara in the MFI booth.
One of the 18,000 seedlings is handed after a fair goer took MFI’s Tree Trivia quiz and showed off his knowledge of healthy forests.
Mike Lynch of WCCO Radio does a live interview with MFI Vice President of Forest Policy about the fun activities at the MFI booth in the Education Building.
It’s been a Minnesota State Fair tradition since 1991: Minnesotans flocking to the Minnesota Forest Industries booth in the Education Building to receive their free red pine seedlings.
A total of 18,000 red pines are being given away, for a total of more than 200,000 seedlings throughout the years at the Great Minnesota Get Together.
MFI has dubbed the popular seedlings as “Carbon Sponges,” highlighting the fact that trees absorb carbon dioxide, and that healthy forests help fight climate change.
“According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, one tree can remove 50 pounds of carbon from the air each year,” said Wayne Brandt, MFI executive vice president. “So to help people remember the absorptive abilities of trees – in other words, how they ‘soak up’ carbon – we’re calling our seedlings Carbon Sponges this year.”
Brandt said that in addition to the seedlings themselves being given away at MFI’s State Fair booth, real sponges printed with the message “Trees absorb carbon. Forest products store it.” will also be distributed for free.
“Global climate change is an issue of increasing importance, and the 36,000 workers in Minnesota’s forest products industry are pleased that our careful management of the forests serves a dual role of also helping remove carbon from the air,” said Brandt. “With more than 20 million seedlings being planted in Minnesota each year, there is a lot of valuable carbon absorption taking place throughout the state.”
Brandt added that carbon absorption is just half of the good news about forests, though.
“Lumber, furniture and other products made from forests continue to store carbon for decades and even centuries. The average home, with its variety of forest products, stores 12 metric tons of carbon.”
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