City’s Adopt A Tree Program Blooms

October 30, 2020

This year, during its 28th year as a designated Tree City USA, the City of Tallahassee is once again offering free trees to eligible homeowners within the city limits. The ever-popular Adopt A Tree program provides and helps plant native and naturalized trees to increase the community’s urban forest canopy. To apply for the program, visit Talgov.com.

Homeowners may request up to two trees be planted in the front yard within 100 feet of the centerline of the roadway (within the city limits) and must agree to keep each tree watered for one year. City staff will assist the homeowner with tree placement and take care of the installation.

The trees, depending on the species, are between 5 and 8 feet in height and are species native to the southeast. Trees available this year include:

• ‘Okame’ Cherry is a quick-growing, low-maintenance, understory tree whose leaves and blooms put on a show in fall, late winter and early spring. Due to limited quantities, properties with overhead utilities will be given priority for this species.
• ‘D.D. Blanchard’ Southern Magnolia is a magnificent evergreen tree and the largest of all the magnolia varieties. It has a very straight trunk and fragrant flowers, though few, that bloom from late spring through the summer.
• Southern Live Oak is Tallahassee’s official shade tree and quite majestic. This native evergreen’s limbs are usually covered in Spanish Moss, and their acorns are enjoyed by many animals. This tree needs plenty of room to grow – the trunk can become more than six feet in diameter!

Details on each tree species are included on the website, and tree planting will begin mid-January. Trees are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

In 2018, the Tallahassee City Commission approved an Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) to guide proactive urban forest management and balance the needs for storm hardening, infrastructure and growth over the next 20 years. Adopt A Tree, which plants around 300 trees each year, is one of the programs that helps ensure the health of Tallahassee’s tree canopy. At 55 percent, the City boasts one of the highest percentages of tree coverage in the nation.

To adopt a tree from the City, simply visit Talgov.com and complete the online application. Questions can be emailed to adoptatree@talgov.com or answered by calling 850-891-5300.