Ring in spring with Penn tree giveaway

Penn is partnering with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to stage its second annual Creating Canopy free tree giveaway for members of the University community who are homeowners. The program has been expanded this year to include homeowners who live in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware suburbs, as well as those within the Philadelphia city limits.

Penn is offering more than 400 trees on a first-come, first-served basis. Several varieties of trees will be distributed, including large trees for suburbanites—tulip poplars, swamp white oaks, sweetgums, or hackberries—and smaller trees for city dwellers—Eastern redbuds, hornbeams, chokecherries, or blackhaws.

“From 2008 through 2015, we expect to plant more than 1,700 trees on campus,” says University Landscape Architect Bob Lundgren. “By enabling staff and faculty to plant trees in their own yards, the University hopes to engage them in this greening effort beyond campus and thus make a great impact on the city and the region.”  

Philadelphia homeowners who plant a tree will help the city reach its TreePhilly goal of planting 15,000 new trees in the city during 2012.

Employees who live in the city and are interested in obtaining a free tree must register before Friday, March 30, at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s Creating Canopy with Penn website. Trees will be available for pick-up at the Penn Park parking lot located at 31st and Lower Walnut streets, on Thursday, April 19, between 3 and 6 p.m., or Saturday, April 21, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Suburban homeowners who sign up for a free tree will help the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society with its Plant One Million campaign, an initiative designed to restore the tree canopy in the greater Philadelphia region to 30 percent by planting 1 million trees throughout 13 counties in southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Faculty and staff who live in the suburbs and qualify can register with Creating Canopy, but must do so by Monday, April 30. Trees can be picked up on Thursday, May 17, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Penn Park parking lot, or between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 19, at the Morris Arboretum.

For more information and further explanation of the required qualifications, visit the Creating Canopy website.

Tree Giveaway