The Rhode Island DEM – with support from partners the RI Tree Council, Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape Association, and the Arbor Day Foundation – has 1,000+ more trees to give away to Rhode Islanders this spring through the Energy-Saving Trees program. These additional trees will be mailed directly to Rhode Island who reserve them. Now in its seventh year, this popular initiative helps homeowners save energy and lower their utility bills by strategically planting trees on their property.
The trees will be about one to three feet tall, with each arriving in a one-gallon container. DEM expects to start shipping them in around 10 days. All program participants must be Rhode Island residents and pre-register online to reserve their free tree.
“Planting the right tree in the right place is a terrific way for Rhode Islanders to reduce their energy costs today and in the years to come, and a tangible way to stand up to climate change,” said DEM Director Terry Gray.
The trees added include large shade species that can grow to 50 feet tall and beyond, such as northern red oak, pin oak, and American sycamore. When planted in the appropriate space, these large species can maximize energy-saving benefits. For smaller planting spaces, species that can typically grow up to approximately 35 feet tall also are available, including white flowering dogwood, eastern redbud, and serviceberry. Bees and other pollinators frequent all three of the smaller species.
The process to reserve your free tree takes only a few minutes.
1. Sign up at www.arborday.org/RIDEM and map your house by using the interactive mapping tool.
2. Select the right species by choosing from the list of available trees.
3. The tree will then be mailed directly to your home.
Funding for the program is provided by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. For online registration assistance, please contact the Arbor Day Foundation at 855-234-3801.
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