City’s Tree Grant Program brings locally grown trees to public spaces

Fort Worth residents and community groups can help grow the city’s urban forest through the City of Fort Worth’s Tree Grant Program, which provides free trees for planting on public property.

The program provides trees for street medians, public parks, commercial parkways and other public spaces, including police and fire stations, libraries and schools. Trees are awarded based on project priorities, with an emphasis on projects that can provide long-term care and watering.

What makes the program especially unique is where the trees come from. Trees provided through the grant program are grown at Rolling Hills, the City’s tree farm, from seeds collected locally. The available species are native or well-adapted to the Fort Worth area and include bald cypress, pond cypress, cedar elm, Chinese pistache, Eve’s necklace, golden raintree, Kentucky coffeetree, Mexican buckeye, bur oak, Chinquapin oak, live oak, Mexican white oak, red oak and Texas redbud.

Applicants may request either 3-inch-diameter balled-and-burlapped trees or 10- to 45-gallon container-grown trees. Balled-and-burlapped trees are available during the dormant season, typically December through March. Container-grown trees can be planted from fall through spring.

How the program works

Organizations and groups interested in participating must submit a Tree Grant Application and site plan to the Forestry Section by Sept. 15 of the applicable tree-planting season.

Applicants also must:

Locate underground utility lines before receiving trees.

Plant trees within 24 hours of delivery according to City tree-planting specifications.

Water the trees for two years after planting.

Meet with a City forester on site during planting to ensure the trees are planted correctly.

Community care makes a difference

Demand for free trees through the program is consistently greater than the Forestry Section can accommodate, so projects are awarded based on priority. Projects with community involvement, including planting and watering by neighborhood groups or other organizations, as well as projects using drip irrigation or community-funded water, receive priority.

The program provides more than trees — it gives Fort Worth neighborhoods, organizations and schools an opportunity to invest in the public spaces they share. By planting locally grown, well-adapted trees and committing to their care during their critical first two years, community partners can help strengthen Fort Worth’s urban forest for years to come.

Applications are due Sept. 15. Learn more about the Tree Grant Program and tree-planting requirements through the City of Fort Worth Forestry Section or contact Lisa Maciques, natural scientist supervisor, at 817-392- 7452 or Lisa.Maciques@Fortworthtexas.gov.

PHOTO: Trees are awarded based on project priorities, with an emphasis on projects that can provide long-term care and watering.

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