Keep Nassau Beautiful will hand out about 500 free trees at drive-through sites in Fernandina Beach, Yulee and Callahan on Saturday, Oct. 3. The nonprofit still needs volunteers.

The fall TreesDay event runs from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at all three locations, according to the organization's event page. Volunteers check proof of residency, help load nursery-sized trees into vehicles and direct traffic.

All available trees were reserved by Nassau County residents as of Sept. 25, according to the TreesDay event listing. Residents who reserved a tree must bring proof of Nassau County residency to pick up one or two 3-gallon trees while supplies last.

The giveaway is part of Keep Nassau Beautiful's Planting Nassau's Future program, which has distributed more than 5,900 free trees to Nassau County residents since 2020, according to the nonprofit's program page.

The program holds TreesDay events twice a year, in spring and fall. Advance notice of reservation openings goes to Keep Nassau Beautiful members and newsletter subscribers about six weeks before each event.

The pace of planting has picked up. Keep Nassau Beautiful distributed 808 trees across public and private property in 2024 and 1,384 in 2025, according to the organization's year-end reports.

Lynda Bell, executive director of Keep Nassau Beautiful, leads the Fernandina Beach-based nonprofit. In a June 2025 press release about a separate osprey conservation project, Bell described the organization's work as rooted in kindness and said small acts of service add up to meaningful change.

The program also offers a free educational video on proper tree planting and maintenance, hosted by Dr. Taylor Clem and available on YouTube.

Program partners for the fall event include Amelia's Native Wildflowers, the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners, Rayonier, RYAM and UF/IFAS Extension Nassau County.

Volunteer sign-ups for Saturday's Fernandina Beach, Yulee and Callahan shifts are open at keepnassaubeautiful.org. Residents can reach Keep Nassau Beautiful at 904-261-0165 or [email protected].

Upcoming community dates: The next TreesDay is typically held in March. No spring 2027 date has been announced. KNB members and newsletter subscribers receive early notice of tree reservations.