LEXINGTON, KY. (April 8, 2004) — Kentucky Utilities Company (KU) will join other local Earth Day activities around the state by giving away 50,000 Redbud tree seedlings on April 22nd, in 15 central and northeastern Kentucky counties that were hardest hit by the ice storm of 2003. Because of the logistical lead time needed, this is the first opportunity KU has to provide seedlings to customers since the storm.

Students from local Future Farmers of America chapters and regional managers, employees and retirees from Kentucky Utilities will assist with the distribution.

The counties in which trees will be distributed are Fayette, Anderson, Woodford, Scott, Clark, Bourbon, Harrison, Nicholas, Montgomery, Bath, Rowan, Fleming, Robertson, Bracken and Mason. They include the towns of Lexington, Versailles, Midway, Lawrenceburg, Georgetown, Winchester, Mt. Sterling and Maysville, among others.

Customers may pick up a limit of two seedlings, free of charge, beginning at 8 a.m., as long as supplies last.

Central Kentucky Seedling Distribution Locations

Lexington: KU Operations Center, 500 Stone Road
Lawrenceburg: City Hall Park Lot, 205 East Woodford Street
Versailles: KU Office, 250 Crossfield Drive
Midway: City Hall, 133 North Winter Street
Georgetown: KU Office, 205 West Clinton Street
Paris: Bourbon Co. High School Greenhouse
Winchester: George Rogers Clark High School Greenhouse
Mt. Sterling: KU Office, 209 West Locust Street
Owingsville: Bath Co. High School Greenhouse
Morehead: Rowan Co. High School Greenhouse
Flemingsburg: Former KU office, 300 South Main Cross Street
Carlisle: Nicholas Co. High School
Mt. Olivet: Deming High School
Brooksville: Bracken Co. High School
Cynthiana: Harrison Co. High School Greenhouse
Maysville: KU Office, 215 Wall Street

"We know there was considerable damage to all varieties of trees in the areas hit hardest by the ice storm," said Chris Hermann, Senior Vice President, Energy Delivery. "As a gesture of support for customers and the environment, we are offering the seedlings to help restore the foliage in the communities we serve."

The giveaway program supports KU's advice-giving tree planting program, The Right Tree in The Right Place.

That means planting the right tree in the right place is important because the proper location helps conserve energy and keeps the limbs away from electric lines as the tree matures. One of the major causes of power outages is limbs falling on lines, as they did during the ice storm. Planting the seedlings in the proper locations will help reduce energy costs and outages for customers. The Redbud variety seedlings, while appearing to be small in their giveaway form, over the years reach mature heights of about 25 to 30 feet. That means they will not interfere with most overhead power lines.



Kentucky Utilities Company, based in Lexington, Ky., is committed to serving communities by producing reliable, low-priced electric energy to more than one-half million customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in western Virginia. KU is a subsidiary of LG&E Energy LLC., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., which is part of the family of companies of E.ON AG, headquartered in Dusseldorf, Germany.