Philadelphia Parks And Rec Gives Away More Than 2,000 Free Trees
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- The City of Philadelphia is hoping to give away more than 2000 free trees over the next few weeks as part of an ongoing effort to make Philadelphia the city of "arborly love."
With temperatures growing warmer, the cheerful chirping of our winged friends and scattered greenery are sure to come soon. But thanks to the Philadelphia department of Parks and Recreation you too can help usher in spring by planting up to two free trees on your property.
"By planting a tree on your property you get the shade that it provides, you get the air purification," says Erica Smith Fichman, coordinator for TreePhilly. The initiative is a community outreach effort to get more Philadelphians to plan and care for trees.
"Our goal is to increase the tree canopy in the city in each neighborhood up to 30 percent," she says.
To get there, the city is giving away free trees and lessons on how to plant and care for them. And there's a huge selection to accommodate properties and green space of all sizes.
"We have some large shade trees like red maple, sassaphras and beech," she says.
There's also smaller trees and fruit trees. Property owners are eligible for two free trees. All you have to do is register by March 27th and pick up your tree at one of six locations in early April. For more info, go to TreePhilly's website.
