TREE BANK FOUNDATION, CITY SPONSOR “Great OKC Tree Give-Away”
1,000 FREE trees to be made available to City residents
April 15, 2008 (OKLAHOMA CITY) – The Greater Oklahoma City Tree Bank Foundation, in cooperation with the City of Oklahoma City, is making 1,000 trees available for free to citizens as part of the “Great OKC Tree Give-Away.” The program is being funded entirely through a grant from the Houston-based Apache Foundation.
“This was an opportunity we just couldn’t pass up,” said Mary Caffrey, Executive Director of the Tree Bank Foundation. “Trees play such an important role in our lives. We hope by providing these 1,000 trees, we are able to give to the community just a small part of what we lost in December’s ice storm.”
Citizens who want a free tree must pre-register through the City’s NeighborWoods program. Registration will run April 15 through April 21, or as long as supplies last. Registration is only open to residential households within the corporate limits of Oklahoma City. The trees are available on a first-come, first-served basis and only one tree will be available per household.
Citizens will be able to choose from the following tree varieties: Bald Cypress, Shumard Oak, Loblolly Pine, and Crabapple.
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 five-gallon containers. They can be easily transported in a car or light truck.
There are three ways to register for the trees. Citizens may e-mail their contact information (name, address, phone and e-mail address) and tree preference to trees@okc.gov. They may visit the City’s website at City of Oklahoma City | Public Information & Marketing to download a registration form and fax the completed form to 297-1631. Citizens without computer or fax access may call the NeighborWoods program at 297-2283.
Once they register, citizens will be assigned a designated time when they can pick up their tree. Distribution will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 26 at Will Rogers Park, 3400 NW 36th. Citizens will need to present a valid ID, or registration confirmation number, for pick-up.
Volunteer Master Gardeners will be available during distribution to answer citizen questions about tree care, and education materials will also be provided to everyone who receives a tree.
The total of the grant, as funded by the Apache Foundation, is estimated at $15,000.
“We absolutely could not do this without the support of the Apache Foundation,” Caffrey said. “Their commitment to the environment through their million-tree planting effort serves as an example for all major companies to follow.”
The Apache Foundation, a division of the Houston-based Apache Petroleum Corporation, has a goal of funding the distribution and planting of one million trees in the areas it serves, including Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Since launching the program in 2006, it has helped plant over 370,000 trees in the tri-state area.
For complete program details, citizens may visit online at City of Oklahoma City | Public Information & Marketing, or call 297-2283.
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