By Theodora Aggeles, Times Correspondent
Friday, December 17, 2010
Charlie Mitchell gets free longleaf pine seedlings to plant while visiting Dunedin’s Green Market Friday. The seedlings are courtesy of Dr. Garland Forbes, who buys them by the thousands.
DUNEDIN — Twenty-five years ago, a simple "no" from a hardware store clerk inspired Dr. Garland Forbes.
Forbes wanted to buy a piece of maple or oak for a furniture project. The clerk said he had none to sell. Curious, Forbes asked why. When the clerk said hardwood had been cut down 150 years ago and never replanted to replenish the supply, Forbes couldn't believe his ears.
"I knew someday if I had an opportunity to get involved with replenishing the forest, I would," said Forbes, a dentist who specializes in root canal treatments at his Dunedin and New Port Richey offices.
Five years ago, the 67-year-old Dunedin resident took up ...