ELKINS, W.Va. (WBOY) — The 2022 Mountain State Forest Festival in Elkins will run from Saturday, Oct. 1 through Sunday, Oct. 9.

Festivities include the lumberjack contest, Grande Feature Parade, food, music and vendors and much more. Festivalgoers will also get a chance to get a free tree.

FirstEnergy announced in a press release Friday that members of its “Green Team” will be at the festival’s Conservation Village at Elkins City Park during part of the festival to hand out Redbud, Red Maple, Red Oak and Serviceberry trees.

According to the release, the company will be there on Friday, Oct. 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The green team is focused on promoting environmental stewardship. FirstEnergy Senior Scientist Carol Trembly said part of that goal is trying to increase the tree canopy within their service territory.

“We have climate goals that we are trying to achieve, and one of them is promoting the trees to help reduce the carbon footprint. Getting our community involved really lets them know that we are invested in keeping our communities sustainable and making sure they thrive,” said Trembly.

The giveaway is part of FirstEnergy’s initiative to plant 20,000 trees in 2022. Trembly said they are on track to plant 21,000 by the end of the year.

Eastern Redbud Tree in Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate in Lexington, Kentucky. Credit: PEO ACWA used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
A red maple tree on the Newark campus of Ohio State University, Newark, Ohio, Credit: James St. John used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license .
Northern red oak tree in Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C. Credit: Katja Schulz used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license .
A flowering serviceberry in Pine Swap run in Northeast Pennsylvania. Credit: Nicholas A. Tonelli used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license .

The Arbor Day Foundation lists the following information about the tress that FirstEnergy will be hanging out:

Redbud

  • Mature size: 20–30′ tall with a spread of 25–35′
  • Growth rate: 13–24″ per year
  • Sun preference: Full sun and partial shade, a minimum of four hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight per day
  • Soil preference: Acidic, alkaline, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, well-drained and clay soils

Red Maple

  • Mature size: 40–60′ tall with a spread of around 40′
  • Growth rate: 13″ to more than 24″ per year
  • Sun preference: Full sun, meaning it should get at least six hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight per day
  • Soil preference: Acidic, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, silty loam, well-drained and clay soils, prefers wet soil conditions but has slight drought tolerance

Red Oak

  • Mature size: 60–75′ tall with a spread of around 45′
  • Growth rate: More than 24″ per year
  • Sun preference: Full sun, meaning it should get at least six hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight per day
  • Soil preference: Acidic, loamy, moist, sandy, well-drained and clay soils, prefers normal moisture but has some drought tolerance

Serviceberry

  • Mature size: 15–25′ tall with a spread of around 15–25′
  • Growth rate: 13–24″ per year
  • Sun preference: Full sun and partial shade, meaning it prefers a minimum of four hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight per day
  • Soil preference: Acidic, moist and well-drained soils