Residents of St. John's can expect to see a little green for planting trees on their property according to arborist Brian Mercer who works for the city.

Mercer helped cultivate a list of 20 different trees, coniferous and deciduous, for people to choose from to help spruce up their lawns or backyards.

"The goal here is to get trees planted throughout the city. St. John's is lucky in that it has many areas that are very well treed, but we also have some residential areas where there are not a lot of trees at all," Mercer told CBC Radio's On The Go.

"The problem the city is having is there's also not a lot of city property in those areas, so we can't go in there and plant ourselves."

The city will offer $150 vouchers toward the purchase of a tree from its list for applicants to plant on their properties.

St. John's is giving away $150 vouchers to residents who apply for its Re-leaf program. (Hina Alam/Canadian Press)

In order to obtain a tree purchase voucher, you must:

Own the property where the tree is to be planted or provide written permission from the owner.

Ensure you have a suitable planting location that provides sufficient room to support mature tree growth and will not present any future sight-line issues or utility conflicts.

Plant trees adjacent to the street either at the front or the side of the property.

Attend a tree care information session hosted by City staff. After completing the session, participants will be given a $150 voucher to go toward the purchase of a tree from a participating local nursery or garden centre.

The trees

The tree list is lengthy, consisting of some of the toughest trees that can survive in the province, and also those that require little to no maintenance after being planted, making the program fairly accessible to everyone, said Mercer.

"So, through this program we're able to work with private land owners to get trees planted in those areas," Mercer said.

"There's 20 trees on the list, and we chose these trees specifically because they are sort of the proven winners, if you will, in the city. So, these are trees that the city has planted, either in its parks or in some of the residential areas before, and we know that they can work well here."

For those interested, applications can be made on the city's website through the ReLeaf program. The deadline is end of day on Friday, May 17.

Vouchers can be redeemed at Holland Nurseries in St. John's, Rise and Shine Nursery and Garden Centre in St. John's, Murray's Garden Centre in Portugal Cove and Pat's Plants and Gardens in Bay Bulls.

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