Video by Emerson Lehmann, NewsLink Indiana
Give what you take. That's the motto local woodworker Hans Heintzelman likes to live by. With the help of some area cub and boy scouts, he put those words to action this weekend.
"I came up with the idea a while back to plant one tree for every hardwood floor job I did," said Heintzelman.
He and scouts from around the district were hard at work on Saturday, planting an assortment of trees in the Munsee Woods, owned by the Red Tail Land Conservancy.
"We're planting a variety of trees," added Heintzelman. "My friend, Charlie Mason, helps buy the trees and we help plant them. They come from the Department of Natural Resources, and they're all natural to Indiana."
Just how many trees you may ask? The number is surprising.
"We started with about 950 trees," said Heintzelman. "We will get as many in the ground as we can, and then the rest, I put in pots and harbor them over the summer so I can give them away at my free tree giveaway at the Muncie Art Walk in the fall."
With it being Earth Day weekend, the timing seemed perfect for Heintzelman and the scouts to give back. Micayla Jones of the Red Tail Land Conservancy agreed.
"The support means the world to us. We own and manage over 2700 acres, so you can imagine how difficult that is to maintain; it's nearly impossible. For them to be here planting trees on Earth Day weekend, that's just an amazing thing," Jones said.
Heintzelman is proud to have the support of the scouts as he embarks on this mission each year.
"I like it because it's really a giving or offering that doesn't just benefit one person but the greater community."
