Arbor Day and Neighborhood Canopy Program details offered
City of Sarasota residents interested in receiving a free small tree or a low-cost canopy tree “are invited to participate in two highly anticipated tree programs following unprecedented interest in recent City tree giveaways,” city staff has announced.
Arbor Day Foundation tree giveaway
The City of Sarasota has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to give away 200 trees, ranging from 1 foot to 3 feet in height, a news release says. They will be delivered directly to residents’ homes, the release adds.
The city’s Tree Mitigation Fund will provide 100 trees, with the other 100 offered by the Arbor Day Foundation as a match, the release explains.
Interested residents can register online to receive one of five available tree species: live oak, bald cypress, thuja green giant, chaste tree, and crape myrtle.
Participants may select one tree per single-family home to be delivered, free of charge, the release notes. Click here for more information or to reserve a tree while supplies last.
Neighborhood Canopy Program
City residents interested in receiving a larger tree are invited to participate in the Neighborhood Canopy Program, the release continues. This program provides professional installation of trees with a 2-inch caliper size, the release notes.
Each participant must pay $100 for the tree, with the city covering the remainder of the cost, up to $500, for the species selected, the release adds. The city match for this program will come out of the city’s Tree Mitigation Fund, the release says.
The Mitigation Fund collects a portion of tree removal permit payments for use in urban canopy programs, the release explains.
Neighborhood Canopy Program participants may choose from 10 species: magnolia, shady lady, Southern red cedar, Japanese blueberry,
winged elm, live oak, green buttonwood, royal poinciana, ligustrum, and sycamore.
Interested residents may register for the Neighborhood Canopy Program by emailing NeighborhoodCanopyProgram@SarasotaFL.Gov. Registration for the programs will close on Aug. 22, the release adds, with plantings scheduled for the first two weeks of September.
Participation in both the Arbor Day Foundation tree giveaway and the Neighborhood Canopy Program is limited to City of Sarasota residents, the release points out.
In April, city “tree giveaways received exceptional interest,” the release notes. During an event at The Bay Park, the release says, “residents expressed so much interest that, after the first 100 trees were claimed in just 64 minutes, 50 additional trees were provided to be given away on the second day.”
“Sarasota’s tree programs help do more than just beautify neighborhoods,” the release points out. “Growing the urban canopy can help fight the urban heat island effect, save energy, clean the air, filter storm runoff, and provide habitat for local wildlife.”