Duke Energy grant will grow Covington canopy, but only 30 trees are available
COVINGTON, Ky. – If you want a free tree for your yard, you will want to act quickly: Covington’s Forestry Division has 30 trees to give away for planting in targeted neighborhoods, and they will be passed out on a first-come, first-served basis.
Two things make the giveaway unusual:
- The trees come in containers that are 5 gallons to 7 gallons in size, so they are larger than the “whips” or bare-root seedlings typically given out.
- And the trees are to be planted on private property in Covington – not in the public right of way.
“We only have so much space along public sidewalks that will accommodate trees, so if we’re going to expand Covington’s tree canopy, we’re need to look for ways to plant trees in people’s yards,” said Patrick Moore, Covington’s Urban Forester. “But people should act fast, because we don’t have many trees.”
The good news, he said, is that the same Duke Energy Community Impact grant program that paid for these trees will fund another giveaway this fall, “and we hope to have twice as many trees to give away then.”
The City is working with OKI Regional Council of Governments on the initiative. To reserve a tree, you need to go to OKI’s Tree for Me webpage and click on “Active Tree Distributions.” There you will need to enter your address and answer other questions.
OKI’s mapping program will take into account your address and its surroundings and suggest one or more of several species that are available: Eastern Redbud “Forest pansy,” Crabapple “Royal Raindrop,” Elm “Frontier,” Swamp white oak, American hornbeam, and river birch “Whitespire.” For example, the program takes into account overhead utility lines to keep you from planting trees that will interfere with those lines as they grow.
Note that only certain Covington neighborhoods are eligible for the free trees. OKI uses federal environmental justice guidelines to direct tree giveaways to neighborhoods that are most in need of a tree canopy (i.e. are “heat islands”) and whose populations typically have a difficult time finding trees.
Those neighborhoods:
- Old Town/Mutter Gottes.
- Seminary Square.
- Eastside.
- Helentown.
- Austinburg.
- Westside.
- West Latonia.
- Rittes East Latonia.
- Latonia Milldale.
- City Heights.
- Kuhr’s Lane.
- Peaselburg.
People who reserve a tree can pick it up at one of two different times: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday (May 19), and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday (May 20) at the Public Works Forestry garage in Devou Park. The address is 1625 Montague Road, between Home Road and Sleepy Hollow Road.
Bring an ID that matches the name you signed up with.
Meanwhile, Covington has been recognized as a Tree City of the World, one of only 169 cities in the world to achieve that recognition. It’s the second year in a row for Covington. To learn more, see Tree Cities of the World.
Moore said the award recognizes Covington’s ongoing efforts to expand its tree canopy, which included a volunteer planting earlier this spring and a tree festival and giveaway at Historic Linden Grove Cemetery & Arboretum.
“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate being recognized as a Tree City of the World than by having another tree giveaway,” he said.
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