Mayor Nutter Launches TreePhilly!

This week Mayor Nutter announced a new tree-giveaway program dubbed TreePhilly. Roughly 2,000 trees will be given to residents who commit to taking proper care of them.  Philadelphia area residents will be given an opportunity to get involved with planting trees on both public and private property.

The initiative is led by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation in partnership with the Fairmount Parks Conservancy and Wells Fargo. 

“TreePhilly is an investment in our city’s future,” said Mayor Nutter “Our city will be healthier, safer and more attractive as a result of the trees we plant through this program. The TreePhilly campaign is the result of a Greenworks goal to plant 300,000 trees by 2015 and will provide Philadelphians with the knowledge and support they need to successfully plant and care for a new tree. I would like to thank Wells Fargo & Company and the Fairmount Park Conservancy for their support of this important initiative.”

 The city is hard at work continuing to plant street trees.  The big news here is the opportunity for residents to plant said trees on their private property.

Interested? Here’s what you need to know:

• Small trees available : Will grow to about 30 feet tall and  fill about a 10 by 10 space.  Some types include flowering dogwood, crab apple and sweetbay magnolia
• Large trees available: Will grow 50-100 feet tall, and fill about a 30 by 30 space.  Types include river birch, sugar maple, and white oak
• The trees will be in five-gallon containers, and will stand roughly five feet tall
• The tree must be planted in the ground within 15 days of receipt
• Tree’s must be planted on private land
• The deadline for requesting a tree is March 31st.
• Pickup days will be April 22-28 in target neighborhoods: West Oak Lane, Tioga, Haddington/Overbrook, Lower Moyamensing/Whitman, Frankford and Kensington
• Go to TreePhilly to sign up for a tree – one per household

Stay tuned to GreenPhillyBlog for updates on the program’s development!

Posted by Beth