http://www.okc.gov/releaf/releaf_banner_small.jpg

OKC Tree Give-Away- Fall 2008
The City of Oklahoma City’s releafokc program is dedicated to building a sustainable urban forest through private and public partnerships.

Great OKC Tree Giveaway
Thanks to the success of The Great OKC Tree Give-Away in Spring 2008, the City’s Planning and Parks and Recreation Departments are pleased to announce another Great OKC Tree Give-Away this Fall. The Tree Bank Foundation and Houston-based Apache Foundation will once again make 1,000 trees available to Oklahoma City residents.

For three days in October, we will distribute small, 3-gallon trees to pre-registered Oklahoma City residents. Because of the efforts of the Tree Bank Foundation, we will have quality Oklahoma-grown trees for our residents.

The Great OKC Tree Giveaway is being implemented through the City’s NeighborWoods Program, which provides free trees for planting in residential neighborhoods.

Putting Down Roots
The Oklahoma City Planning Department has prepared "Putting Down Roots," a 116-page guide to choosing and taking care of trees for central Oklahoma landscapes. This guide features full-color photos and information about more than 50 trees appropriate for Oklahoma landscapes.

Neighborwoods Program
The NeighborWoods program connects community sponsors with citizens to provide trees to residential neighborhoods in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods. The program provides educational tools and resources to recipients to foster long-term success of their trees.

To date, the NeighborWoods program has facilitated planting over 500 trees in the Douglas-Edgemere, Helm Farm, Paseo, Memorial Heights, Hope Crossing and Miller neighborhoods. The program has also organized education and distribution of 3,000 seedlings to local schools.

City of Oklahoma City | Public Information & Marketing (http://www.okc.gov/releaf/index.html)

Thanks, metro!

Registration for trees will begin the second week in September. We'll have a new online registration system, which should help spped things along immensely.

Distribution of the trees will be in late October, but you must be pre-registered to pick up a tree.

Only those folks who live within the corporate limits of Oklahoma City are eligible to receive a tree.

The four varieties being given away this time include:

Bald Cypress
Chinese Pistache
Eastern Redbud
Sawtooth Oak

I'll post more details as we get ready to release them to the public!

So, pick a spot and get ready to get planting! :smile:

FritterGirl....will we still be able to email (trees@okc.gov) our info for pre-registration on Sept 15th?

Not this time, although that will be available AFTER registration is complete to answer people's questions.

Registration will be set up through an online registration "form" at OKC.gov. We will also take phone calls for those who do not have internet access.

Last time, because of how and when our funding came through (rather last minute), we had to put the program together in a very short amount of time, hence the "email" registration.

This time, we'll have an online form set up for folks, which will automatically feed right into our database. It will be much easier, and will make the registration process operate more smoothly for all sides involved.

I'll post more as we get closer to the actual registration date!

Hey All,

Registration begins Monday, September 15 at 9:00 a.m.

TREE BANK PROVIDING 1,000 FREE TREES TO OKC CITIZENS
Registration for Second Tree Give-Away Begins September 15

September 8, 2008 (OKLAHOMA CITY) – The Tree Bank, in cooperation with the City of Oklahoma City, is making another 1,000 free trees available to citizens as part of the “Great OKC Tree Give-Away.” Registration for the free trees begins at 8:00 a.m. September 15, and citizens may register either by phone or through the City’s website at City of Oklahoma City | News (http://www.okc.gov).

This is the second time in less than a year that the Tree Bank and the City have teamed up for this effort. The first Give-Away event took place late April with citizens receiving all 1,000 trees offered. Funding for the program will again come through a grant from the Houston-based Apache Foundation, a part of the Apache Oil Corporation. The City’s Planning and Parks and Recreation Departments are coordinating registration and distribution of the trees.

How to Register
Citizens wanting a free tree must pre-register with the City of Oklahoma City. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, September 15, 2008. It will remain open only as long as trees are available.

There are two ways to register:
· Citizens may fill out an online registration form that can be found at City of Oklahoma City | News (http://www.okc.gov).
· Citizens without computer or Internet access may call (405) 297-2576, or 297-2147.

All registrant addresses will be verified through the City’s GIS database. Citizens receiving a tree will be sent a confirmation number in the mail by October 17.

Who is Qualified
Only people living within the corporate limits of Oklahoma City are qualified to register for a tree. Generally, residents who are served by Oklahoma City Police and/or Fire are considered within the corporate limits. Having an Oklahoma City Utilities Bill is not a sole qualifier.

Trees are available on a first-registered, first-served basis, and individual households may register for only one tree.

Trees AvailableFour trees species are available for the Give-Away. They include:

· Bald Cypress
· Chinese Pistache
· Eastern Redbud
· Sawtooth Oak

Information about these tree varieties is available at City of Oklahoma City | Public Information & Marketing (http://www.okc.gov/releaf).

The trees were purchased through local nurseries to ensure the varieties selected can tolerate Oklahoma’s extreme weather. All trees are ¾” to 1” caliper and will be in three-gallon containers. They can be easily transported in a car or light truck.

Distribution
Distribution will take place at the Will Rogers Garden Exhibition Center’s horticulture holding area, 3500 NW 36th Street. Distribution dates and times are:

· Friday, October 24 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
· Saturday, October 25 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
· Sunday, October 26 Noon – 4 p.m.

Only those who have pre-registered for a tree will be able to pick one up, and residents picking up their trees must bring their confirmation number, along with a photo ID.

For complete program details or questions, citizens may visit online at City of Oklahoma City | Public Information & Marketing (http://www.okc.gov/releaf), or call 297-3903. Registrations will not be taken at this phone number.

###

Looks like you guys sold out pretty quickly. Registration is closed - no tree for me!

Sorry to hear that.

Yup! Response was overwhelming this go around. Over 750 registrations within the first hour and a half... that was through online, and through phone.

We hit the 1,000 mark by about 4:20 in the afternoon, and then hit our "overage" point (to account for the duplicates, non-qualifiers) by about 8:22 Monday evening.

Better luck next time.

On a similar note - all props to our local TREE BANK. Thanks to them, and through the Houston-based Apache Foundation, Oklahomans have received close to 33,000 FREE trees for residential plantings since the beginning of 2008. What a great gift to the state.

Edmond needs this program.

The City of Edmond has a very progressive forestry program. It would not surprise me if they hadn't worked with the Tree Bank on a similar initiative.

I say that because of how many trees get bulldozed in that city.