City of Orlando Offers Free Trees to Residents
Last updated on April 26, 2018
City of Orlando Offers Free Trees to Residents through One Person, One Tree Initiative
Missed Earth Day? Celebrate Arbor Day on April 27, 2018 with a free tree from the City
WHAT:
As a part of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer’s One Person, One Tree initiative, the City of Orlando, in partnership with Arbor Day’s Energy Saving Trees program and with funding from OUC and the Florida Forest Service, is providing Orlando residents with up to two free trees per household during the spring planting season.
Starting now, the city will offer five different tree species for residents to choose from, homegrown in Florida nurseries. Species available include:
- Live Oak
- Tulip Poplar
- Bald Cypress
- Chickasaw Plum
- Yaupon Holly
Live Oaks, in particular, are ideal trees for the upcoming hurricane season as they are resistant to insects, fungal pathogens and wind damage, and able to withstand draught conditions and severe injury due to lightning strikes.
The City of Orlando has distributed 6,700 trees since the One Person, One Tree initiative was launched in 2015.
HOW:
Residents can order their free tree online by visiting arborday.org/cityoforlando. The website provides an easy-to-use online mapping tool where residents can select the free tree they want, determine planting location and have it shipped directly to their front door.
ABOUT ONE PERSON, ONE TREE:
The One Person, One Tree initiative was launched in 2015. If every resident planted a tree in the City of Orlando, the tree canopy would increase from 25 percent to 40 percent, reducing CO2 emissions the equivalent of taking nearly 40,000 cars off the road.
Providing trees for residents to plant on their private property allows the city’s urban canopy to grow beyond the public space and rights-of-way that the city currently plants. Increasing Orlando’s urban forest is not only good for the environment, but also improves air quality, generates higher property values, provides energy savings and makes Orlando a cooler place to live.
This innovative program is another way the City is transforming the urban environment by providing residents with the tools necessary to conserve, preserve and reuse valuable resources, ensuring a more livable Orlando for future generations to come.
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