Granny smith apple, persimmon, and eastern white pine are just a few of the species being offered at the Washington Tree Committee’s annual free tree giveaway this Saturday.

The event is being held for the second year at the Washington County Fairgrounds to allow social distancing amid the pandemic, and the public is asked to enter only from the campground road on the southeast corner of the fairground. Committee member Andy Dahl says 170 trees will be distributed for those who want to plant them, “We’ve got 15 species of trees so one of the things that we really want to push is diversity so we don’t have the same problem we had with Dutch Elm disease or more recently Emerald Ash Borer. So the more different kinds of trees you have, the less likely you’ll lose a bunch to some pest. So we try to get something for everyone.”

Attendees are asked to stay in their vehicles during this drive-through event which begins at 8 a.m. Dahl also recommends to show up a few minutes early as the giveaway typically wraps up in a few minutes. This event is made possible by a grant from the Washington, Iowa Betterment Foundation.