If you’ve ever dreamed of filling an empty space with a towering scarlet oak tree in your neighborhood, at your place of worship or in your yard, now’s your chance to get it delivered and planted for free through EcoAction Arlington‘s Tree Canopy Fund.
The application deadline for free trees to be planted on private property is Friday, January 8. There are 11 tree varieties available for individuals, nonprofits, civic and homeowner associations and a number of other groups.
“The Tree Canopy Fund is limited to property owners planting trees on private property,” according to EcoAction Arlington. “We can’t accept applications for planting on school property, parks, or other property maintained by Arlington County or Arlington Public Schools.”
Available trees include American beech, tulip, white oak, willow oak, red oak and bald cypress.
Separate applications must be made for anyone wanting more than one tree, and successful applicants will need to send in a picture of where they want their young tree planted. When it arrives, it should be about two inches wide and up to seven feet tall. Some of the trees will grow upward of 50 feet, like the white oak, which can stretch to 80 feet at full maturity.
The effort is intended to increase Arlington’s tree canopy, which stands at 41%, as of 2017. The Tree Canopy Fund was founded in 2009, and since then more than 1,200 trees have been planted.
Here’s the application and planting schedule:
- Fri., Jan. 8, 2021: Deadline to submit an application
- Mid-to-late Feb. 2021: Applicants will be notified of final decision
- March/April 2021: EcoAction Arlington will contact applicants with an estimated planting date. Trees will be planted by the end of April.
Flickr pool photo by Tom Mockler