It’s spring, and that means it’s time for Dr. Mark Montgomery and any helpers to plant trees. It’s a lot of work and then a lot of patience as Dr. Montgomery says it typically takes seven to 10 years for the trees to grow to the size needed.

It’s normal to find Dr. Montgomery planting this time of year, but what isn’t normal is what he does with the trees. He doesn’t sell them. He gives them away.

First dibs go to anyone impacted by cancer, and then anyone who can’t afford a Christmas tree.

“If you look down this way all this land is being cleared and pushed back. So the tree farm is gonna be expanded this way. It will probably travel a good five to 600 yards down in that direction. So it’s probably gonna be a good sized farm once we get this landscaped this year,” Dr. Montgomery said.

There’s just one stipulation.

“I am part Cherokee Indian and that’s relevant to this project because when you take a tree, you replace the tree where one was taken, and it uses the existing roots. So the tree that you planted will never die as is the memory of that person you’re planting for,” he said.

Cassville resident Daniel Barrett took a Christmas tree last year, so this year he paid it forward, planting a Christmas tree.

“Haven’t had a real tree in probably 15 years so it’s nice to have a real one. I like having the smells of the Christmas tree and stuff like that,” Barrett said.

When Dr. Montgomery first posted about his efforts on Facebook, his post got more than 4,000 shares. He said it was a huge motivational boost.

“There’s no better work in the world than having the opportunity to serve others, and I’m very thankful. It’s God’s work. It’s my work. Just to be given the opportunity to serve on His behalf and behalf of my family, it just doesn’t get sweeter,” said Dr. Montgomery.

This year he is planting 300 trees. Dr. Montgomery encourages anyone interested in a tree to reach out to him on Facebook.