Area FFA chapters take part in Christmas tree collection

Area FFA chapters take part in Christmas tree collection
On Saturday, Jan. 12 the Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapters in Byron, Forreston, Oregon, and Polo once again participated in collecting Christmas trees from local residents and brought them to area chipping sites.
Eric Tryggestad, FFA Advisor, and the Byron High School FFA volunteers collected trees in the Byron area. Stephanie Schultz, FFA Advisor, and the Polo High School FFA volunteers covered the Polo area. Josh Nelson, FFA Advisor, and the Oregon High School FFA volunteers went out in the Oregon and Mt. Morris areas, and Kelley Koester, FFA Advisor, and the Forreston High School FFA volunteers collected trees in Forreston, Leaf River, German Valley, Baileyville, and Adeline.
The FFA advisors and volunteers met early in the morning to plan out routes and map out areas to cover to pick up the trees. Then they ventured out in snowy conditions with a variety of trucks and trailers to gather up and drop-off the trees for recycling. Some students were also able to observe and learn about tree chipping and the safe way to operate the chipper.
These FFA groups have been participating in the Christmas tree recycling program since 1998 and since the program began over 15,000 trees, representing approximately 380 tons, have been collected, mulched, and diverted from local landfills.
For more information about this program, please call the Ogle County Solid Waste Management Department at 815-732-4020.