Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Wilmington, DE – At the 2nd Annual Wilmington Tree Giveaway, the Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH) gave away 125 trees to city residents to plant at their homes and in their gardens. The event was made possible through the generous support of the Rockford Woodlawn Fund and community outreach through Westside Grows.

“We are so proud to be a part of this vital partnership with the Rockford Woodlawn Fund for a second year in a row,” said Vikram Krishnamurthy, DCH’s Executive Director. “One of the most important aspects of this program is the fact that it utilizes private property for the tree plantings, which is crucial to achieving our overall tree canopy goals in the city of Wilmington. It is the enthusiasm of everyone involved, especially the city residents who adopt our trees, that makes this event such a success, and we can’t wait to see what next year brings.”

Over 100 city households participated in the Tree Giveaway, resulting in the planting of more than 125 free trees on private property throughout the city. This program has become an integral piece of DCH’s Community Forestry program in the month of April as it works to build awareness around the importance of trees to our water, air, and soil quality so close to Arbor Day. This year’s tree pick-up location was Tilton Park on the corner of 8th and Broom Streets, and the event was open to all city residents. Recipients submitted applications to Sam Seo, DCH’s community forester, providing contact and residency information, ensuring 100 percent of the trees stayed within city limits. Participants could choose up to two trees and choose from a selection of fig, apple, plum, pluot, and black gum varieties. The pick-up location was staffed by DCH and Westside Grows volunteers.

“Working with the Delaware Center for Horticulture to have the trees available for Wilmington residents and see the phenomenal response from the residents has been very rewarding,” said Vernon Green, Rockford Woodlawn Fund’s Chief Operating Officer. “Rockford Woodlawn Fund is happy to have been a part of this very successful program over these past two years.”