Tucson Clean & Beautiful distributes low-cost desert-adapted trees for
Tucson area residents to plant at their home and in community public
spaces through the Trees for Tucson program. Trees for Tucson is now
accepting applications for Spring 2012 for home shade trees as well as
community project requests on a first-come, first-served basis. While
trees can be planted throughout the year, cool temperatures make the
late winter and springtime seasons ideal times to plant trees.
To qualify for the Home Shade Tree Program, residents must be customers
of Tucson Electric Power Co, and agree to plant the trees within 15 feet
of their home on the west, south or east side of the home. Residences
built in 1979 or earlier with single-pane windows qualify for a maximum
of four trees, and newer homes built in the 1980s or later, or older
homes remodeled with double-pane windows, qualify for up to two trees.
Residents who received trees in the past and still have additional
space for tree planting may now reapply one time per calendar year, per
residence.
A printable application form is available at www.treesfortucson.org or
call (520) 791-3109 to receive a copy by mail or fax. The application
lists a variety of native and desert adapted trees from which applicants
select their preferred type and quantity. Cost: $8.00 each including
delivery, and instructions for tree planting and care.
Low-cost trees are also available through the Community Shade Tree
Program for schools, nonprofit organizations, neighborhood and homeowner
associations, and other community volunteers to shade buildings, common
spaces, neighborhood streets, parks, washes, and other public areas. To
qualify and determine cost and availability for trees, please call (520)
791-3109 to coordinate your project.
The Trees for Tucson program was established in 1989 to educate our
community members on the benefits of planting and properly maintaining
trees at homes and in public spaces. This unique partnership provides
several direct benefits: beautifying and shading our homes, reducing
energy usage and costs, reducing our use of nonrenewable fossil fuels,
minimizing Urban Heat Islands created by man-made surfaces, increasing
wildlife habitat, reducing air and water pollution, reducing stormwater
runoff and erosion, and greatly reducing Carbon Dioxide in our
atmosphere.
Tucson Clean & Beautiful is a nonprofit organization incorporated in
1985 as the flagship for community based environmental volunteer efforts
in the Tucson metro area. Programs include recycling and waste
reduction, urban forestry, land stewardship, at-risk youth landscape
training, and beautification. Visit www.tucsoncleanandbeautiful.org or
call (520) 791-3109 for more information.
