A Central Texas city has announced plans to give away about 2,000 trees to help reforest the community devastated by 2011 wildfires.
Free young trees will be available Saturday in Bastrop, where wind-driven fires that started Labor Day weekend left two people dead and destroyed more than 1,600 homes. The Texas Forest Service says about 1.5 million trees were killed.
The state agency, which is co-sponsoring the giveaway, said Tuesday that the trees are for residents of Bastrop, about 30 miles east of Austin, and others affected by nearby wildfires. City officials say a maximum of four trees are available per household.
The trees, in 5-gallon buckets, will be available at the city's public works parking lot at 1209 Linden Street from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
The program is sponsored by the Bastrop Economic Development Corporation, Apache Foundation, Bastrop Parks Department, Bastrop Tree Committee, Tree Folks and the Texas Forest Service.
