Registration begins Sept. 1 for Dallas residents who want to participate in the Branch Out Dallas Tree Giveaway Program.
Initiated by the Dallas Water Utilities Department, the program provides residents with a free five-gallon tree at no cost. Participants can select one of six hardwood varieties once the online registration opens.
Trees will be available for pickup on Nov. 6. Location and pickup times will be provided during registration.
The Branch Out Dallas Tree Giveaway Program is part of the city’s overall effort to reduce the Heat Island Effect.
In 2017, the Dallas Urban Heat Island study looked at the impact and effects of neighborhood air temperatures. The results concluded that Dallas is heating up faster than every U.S. city except Phoenix.
Dr. Brian Stone, Professor, School of City and Regional Planning of the Georgia Institute of Technology, and author said the Heat Island Effect demonstrates that “cities do not cause heat waves — they amplify them. Human activities on climate at the city/regional scale, accounting for both land surface changes and emissions of greenhouse gases, maybe twice as great as the impacts of greenhouse gases alone.”
Since 35% of Dallas is rooftops, parking lots, and highways, which are already hot, the surfaces are getting hotter. Buildings and pavements are 15 degrees warmer in urban areas compared with rural areas where trees and open spaces are common.
The free trees will aid in the city’s effort to reduce greenhouse gases and provide shade to combat climate change effects. When homeowners plant trees, the air quality improves, and temperatures decrease.
Visit the Dallas City Hall website from Sept. 1 to 30 to register. For more information about the program, email city hall.
