Sources of free or discounted trees
n Tree Montgomery Program . Large shade trees are professionally planted for free across Montgomery county by the Tree Montgomery program . This program is funded by fees collected in the Forest Conservation Fund under the Tree Canopy Law , which requires trees to be planted during development activity . Builders can choose to pay fees rather than plant and these fees are used to plant shade trees . Apply for large shade trees at : treemontgomery . org
n Reforest Montgomery Program . Organized by Montgomery Planning and also funded by the Forest Conservation Fund , this program offers $ 50 coupons for native trees of all sizes with a minimum purchase value of $ 75 at various participating nurseries . Download coupons at : montgomeryplanning . org / wp-content / uploads / 2023 / 04 / Tree-coupon-4-6-2023 . pdf
Depending on your location you may also be eligible for the planting of free native trees ( focus is on urban areas of the county ): montgomeryplanning . org / planning / environment / forest-conservationand-trees / reforest-montgomery / free-urban-shade-trees
Top : American plum sapling received for free from SCWP and MD DNR , just one year after planting ; above : white oak , still with its autumn leaves , bought with a $ 50 coupon offered by the Reforest Montgomery Program at the participating Potomac Garden Center nursery .
roots make them less prone to tumble under high winds . So , we were not that crazy after all ! However , besides how important native trees are , I wish I had also known before embarking on our massive planting efforts how to get free -or discounted- trees from public sources . It was only towards the end that we learned about such affordable tree sources and used them for our own yard . I share this information so that you can all benefit from it . Happy planting ! n MCDOT Street Program . If a desired tree planting location in a front yard falls inside a road right-of-way , contact the Department of Transportation of Montgomery County to request a free tree planting at : www3 . montgomerycountymd . gov / 311 / Solutions . aspx ? SolutionId = 1-EBMIV
n Seneca Creek Watershed Partners Association ( SCWP ) and Maryland Department of Natural Resources ( DNR ). SCWP ’ s free native tree giveaway event is organized every spring by the Smith Family from Spring Meadows drive , along with Bonnie Bell and other volunteers from Friends of Seneca Creek Park , and co-sponsored by the Muddy Branch Alliance . Each year , hundreds of trees are given away to residents living in the Seneca Creek or Muddy Branch watersheds . These trees are grown to seedling size by the Department of Natural Resources in the John Ayton State Nursery in Preston , Maryland . SCWP volunteers retrieve the seedlings and carefully bring them to the distribution site , ensuring that they are kept ready for immediate planting by the recipients .
Subscribe to www . senecacreekwp . org to receive information about upcoming events , or follow Seneca Creek Watershed Partners on Facebook .
Frankie André lives in Darnestown with her husband Apostol , dog Lucy and cat Penny . Retired from an engineering career in the oil and high-tech industries , she is passionate about and volunteers to environmental causes . She is a board member of the Seneca Creek Watershed Partners Association .
40 plenty I summer growing 2024