INDReporter

Horse Farm receives 100 live oaks

by Wynce Nolley

A local ecological restoration company donated 100 live oak trees that will be planted at the park-to-be Tuesday afternoon.

In the first of what is sure to become a series of beautification projects, the Horse Farm is receiving more than 100 live oak trees Tuesday afternoon as part of a statewide donation of 2,500 live oak trees courtesy of Resource Environmental Solutions, a national ecological restoration company based in Baton Rouge.

"They are building a beautiful park there," says Elliott Bouillion, CEO of Resource Environmental Solutions, of the Horse Farm. "This is just our way of helping out."

Joey "the ham" Durel, Elliott Bouillion and state Rep. Stuart Bishop

Ranging in size from 5 feet to 8 feet tall, the oak trees will be arriving Tuesday, March 19, from the RES coastal marsh nursery located near Pointe Aux Chenes, a 640-acre native grass and tree nursery and one of the largest nurseries on the Gulf Coast.

The donated trees will then be planted starting at 1 p.m. with help from the Boy Scouts of Louisiana and other volunteers. The tree planting in Lafayette is part of a larger statewide project where RES is donating 2,500 live oaks across 55 Louisiana parishes being coordinated by Senate President John Alario and House Speaker Chuck Kleckley.

"This donation is a small token of our commitment of stewardship to Louisiana, its land and people," says Bouillion. "Balancing economic development with ecological restoration helps grow Louisiana infrastructure and maintain a self-sustaining environment."