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Tree-planting takes root in Jacksonville JACKSONVILLE -- A Texas family that has planted trees in towns or counties named Jackson in nearly all 50 states will plant five trees in Jacksonville Monday. John and Joyce Jackson, of Kingwood, Texas, will plant alders, hemlocks and a white fir at 10 a.m. Monday at Beekman Woods, behind the Beekman House at the corner of Laurelwood and California streets. During the ceremony, 20 to 30 white homing pigeons donated by Jody Taina of Applegate will take flight. Guests will include students from Jacksonville Elementary School, an actor who plays the part of Jacksonville pioneer banker Cornelius Beekman, and a prize-winning llama from Pleasant View Farms. Tree-shaped cookies will be served. For the past nine years, John and Joyce Jackson have been planting five trees in each state. They saved Oregon for last because it had a city within a county with the name Jackson in it, said Maryl Cipperly, manager of the Visitors Center in Jacksonville. "It's great that they are doing this," Cipperly said. "It's a chance for us to participate in their legacy and to be a part of this conservation project. It's also a fun thing to do on the first day of spring." The Jacksons have planted trees in Jackson Place, Honolulu, Hawaii; Jackson Mountains, Nevada; and Jacksonville, Ill. But in the 11 states that didn't have a Jackson, the family used their first names to find a spot, such as Roberts Park, Mass.; Stevens Village, Alaska; Christine River, Del.; and Joyce, Wash., the family's first planting in 1991. The final planting will be May 1, when the Jacksons bury the roots of a Burr Oak in the south lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The decade-long project provided the Jackson family an excuse to travel with their three children, who are now ages 33, 34 and 35. It also was part of the family's environmental mission. "We want to encourage everyone everywhere to plant a tree where they live," Joyce Jackson told a Texas newspaper in January. "In doing this, we procreate the environment for centuries to come." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA