Get the shovels and padded gloves ready.

Then head to Lincoln Civic Center early Thursday to get the right trees to plant for the season. That’s what buyers will find at the annual Soil and Water Conservation Tree Sale, manned by workers with the local USDA office and Lincoln County Soil and Water Conservation District.

The trees range in price from $3-$6 and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, starting at 7 a.m., said Gary Blair, a member of the local USDA board.

“We don’t do it to make a profit, but we do break even,” said Smythe Dedeaux of Soil and Water.

The goal is to give back to the community by offering low cost trees and by putting back into the area’s natural resources, she said.

“We start selling at 7 a.m. and we are pretty much sold out within an hour, hour and a half,” Blair said. “Be there early and we will have a list of the trees available when they arrive so they can start marking what trees they want.”

When the sale begins, customers will walk through the available trees, select the ones they want and pay on their way out.

A list of trees can be picked up from the USDA office at 1395 Johnny Johnson Drive today, Blair said, if people want to see what is available before they arrive.

He thinks it’s amazing so many people buy so many trees over such a short period of time — some every year.

“It’s basically the same people each year. Some people are more interested in trees for wildlife, like to feed the deer. Some want trees like crepe myrtles, that will flower in the yard. And some want fruit trees and want to eat the fruit for themselves,” Blair said.

Dedeaux said the fruit trees are usually the most popular items, followed by Catawba. This year the list is longer, with a larger variety of options to purchase.

“These trees are all good for South Mississippi, trees that should be good for our zones,” Dedeaux said.

If someone wants to purchase a type of tree they’ve never planted before and have questions, there will be enough foresters, tree experts and seasoned planters around to help them figure out what needs to be done.

“People who come are everybody from a young couple with their first house, wanting to put a couple of trees in their yard to make it look nice, to older people wanting to add to their orchards,” he said.

For more information on the tree sale, contact the Lincoln County Soil and Water Conservation District Office at 601-833-9321. Dial extension 3 and ask for Dedeaux.