Lands Councils gets $20,000 to plant pines

The Lands Council of Spokane has received a $20,000 grant from Tom’s of Maine to plant 10,000 native ponderosa pines in urban areas. The nonprofit environmental group is looking for 750 volunteers to plant the tree seedlings during its “Reforest Spokane Day” on Oct. 22. The grant came from an online competition, where people voted for their favorite charitable projects. About 20 projects nationwide were submitted. Reforest Spokane finished in second place. The $20,000 will pay for the tree seedlings and other costs related to the Reforest Spokane event, said Amanda Swan, The Land Council’s development director. If any grant money is leftover, it will be used for other urban forestry plantings, she said. Volunteers are needed for the planting effort. To sign up, visit www.landscouncil.org.