MillionTreesNYC will be giving away free trees at six Brooklyn locations now through June. Residents can attend any of the giveaways to pick up one free trees per household. Simple tree planting and caring instructions come with every tree, you just need a place to plant, a shovel and access to water.
Trees can be planted on private properties such as front and back yards, community gardens and faith-based centers throughout New York City with permission of the property owner. Trees must be planted in the ground, rather than in a planter or a container, and all MillionTreesNYC trees must be planted within the five boroughs of New York City.
Emily Laskodi, who works for MillionTreesNYC and will be staffing the first Brooklyn giveaway this Saturday, said that the trees weigh about 30 lbs and are about 7-8 feet tall. “We suggest people bring either a cart to transport them or a car, or a strong back!” she noted in an email message. “Generally the events are very successful — sometimes there will be a line of people waiting before the event starts — no trees will be given away before start time — and other times there will be a steady flow throughout the 2 hours. Any leftover trees after 12 p.m. will be given to people who want additional trees or the community partner will be responsible for distributing them.”
Here is a list of the Brooklyn giveaways:
March
Green Fort Greene & Clinton Hill and FAB Alliance Tree Giveaway
March 26, 10:00 a.m. to noon
Putnam Triangle, Putnam Ave. and Fulton St.
300 trees — cherry trees and dogwoods
April
Green-Wood Cemetery Tree Giveaway
April 16, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
500 25th St.
100 trees — redbud, carolina silverbell, cherry and bur oak
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation Tree Giveaway
April 23, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Restoration Plaza, 1368 Fulton St
130 trees — redbud, magnolia and pear trees
May
Grand Street Campus Tree Giveaway
May 1, 10:00 a.m. – noon
850 Grand St.
300 trees — eastern redbud, kastura, dogwood, magnolia and pear trees
Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush Tree Giveaway
May 7, noon – 2:00 p.m.
Holy Cross Church School Yard, 2530 Church Ave.
200 trees — serviceberry, katsura, dogwood, magnolia, pear, bur oak and littleleaf linden trees
June
Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation Tree Giveaway
June 4, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Blessed Sacrament Church, 198 Euclid Ave.
250 trees — eastern redbud, cherry and callery pear trees
The giveaways are sponsored by American Express and JetBlue.
The giveaways are sponsored by American Express and JetBlue.
Launched in 2007 by the New York Restoration Project (NYRP) and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, MillionTreesNYC is one of the goals set forth under Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC, the city’s long-term sustainability blueprint. MillionTreesNYC is a public-private initiative with an ambitious goal — to plant and care for one million new trees across the city’s five boroughs by 2017.
