In the wake of the success of this spring’s first TreePhilly campaign, during which over 2,200 Philadelphians received free yard trees to plant on their properties, the city announced that the initiative will continue with phase two kicking off this fall.
“The fall TreePhilly campaign will make free trees available to even more residents and continue to make our city healthier, safer and more attractive as a result,” Mayor Michael Nutter said in a statement.
During the fall TreePhilly campaign, property owners can request two trees – up from the one-per-person limit of the spring campaign – to be planted in their front, side or backyards. The second part of the program will also provide residents with limited mobility free delivery and planting services if they present a doctor’s note, SEPTA CCT Connect number or a recommendation from a TreePhilly partner.
There are now a wider varieties of tree species available for request, including Sweetbay Magnolia, Serivceberry, River Burch, Sugar Maple, White Oak, Carolina Silverbell, Black Gum, White Fringetree, American Smoketree, American Yellowwood and Sour Cherry trees.
“With the continued support of our great partners and building off the tremendous success of the Spring TreePhilly campaign, the Fall TreePhilly campaign will allow Philadelphia property owners to get more free trees, learn about the numerous benefits of planting trees, and feature new species of trees,” Deputy Mayor Michael DiBerardinis said in a statement. “The fall is the perfect time to plant trees and TreePhilly gives us the opportunity to engage with many communities and neighborhoods to do just that.”
Wells Fargo is again sponsoring the giveaway with a $75,000 grant and the Fairmount Park Conservancy will provide marketing and promotional support. The campaign is part of the Nutter administration’s Greenworks goal of planting 300,000 trees by 2015.
For more information about claiming a free tree, volunteering for a tree planting event in your local park or sponsoring a community service day to plant and maintain trees, call 215-683-0217 or visit TreePhilly’s website.
