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Operation Evergreen: Christmas trees for troops
organization sends trees to troops all over the world
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Dave Adkins held the trunk of a Douglas fir as he carefully checked the branches and needles.
It was one of the first Christmas trees the agricultural inspection manager at the Ohio Department of Agriculture picked up, looking for egg masses or sickly needles – both telltale signs of insects or diseases.
Such invasive pests can’t be shipped overseas, so inspectors such as Adkins have to closely check each one before giving approval for shipment.
“It doesn’t take very long,” Adkins said, adding, “Every once in a while, we’ll find something.”
On Friday, Adkins was busy at midday inspecting dozens of firs, spruces and pines destined for military bases overseas as part of an annual effort to deliver holiday cheer to the military men and women whose service will keep them away from home during the coming season.
Operation Evergreen has been sending trees to troops for 20-plus years. This year, about 100 Ohio-grown trees are heading to bases in Kuwait, said Amy Galehouse, from Galehouse Tree Farms in Doylestown, who coordinates the effort.
The donated trees were delivered Friday to the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s suburban Ohio campus, where they were inspected, bundled and packed into boxes, along with ornaments and other decorations, the latter donated by school groups.
Tree farms in Mahoning, Trumbull, Wayne and other counties provided the trees. American Legions in Doylestown and Kent donated money for shipping costs. School kids in Canfield, Poland and elsewhere also chipped in.
“Sometimes there’s letters, there’s cards,” Galehouse said. “Occasionally, somebody puts CDs in there. Sometimes people send us tree stands. Whatever we have to go in there, we put in.”
Trees are shipped in mid-November, with hopes that they will arrive on bases near Thanksgiving.
It costs $140 to $160 or more to ship each tree, and the effort is covered by donations of Ohio Christmas Tree Association members and community members. Details on how to donate can be found online at OhioChristmasTree.org.
Joel Berry of Twinsberry Tree Farm in Shreve has been making the trip to Columbus for years to help with Operation Evergreen. He was busy unloading a tall stack of donated trees from the back of a truck.
“I just want [our troops] to have the best experience they can have, since they’re way overseas,” Berry said.