Up With Trees - Planting, preserving and promoting Tulsa's urban forest

Up With Trees & the Apache Foundation are offering free trees to area non-profits, faith based groups and government agencies. And in addition, for the first time free trees will be available to responsible individuals who properly plant them on their property. Thanks to a grant from the Apache Foundation, the Tulsa-based Up With Trees will be distributing up to 10,000 3-to-5-gallon trees in a variety of species throughout Fall of ‘09.

The majority of the trees are intended to be planted on the grounds of non-profit and government agencies, said Up With Trees Executive Director Anna America. “Our goal is to get these trees planted in the Tulsa area in public spaces that will help make the entire community a more beautiful and healthier place,” she said. Recipients are required to have someone on board who is knowledgeable about tree planting and care, or to take a class offered by Up With Trees.

The organization has already given away thousands of trees to non-profits and agencies this past spring. This fall, for the first time, the program will be expanded to include individuals. Each person is limited to four free trees per address, and although there is no charge for the trees, all individual recipients will be required to attend a workshop on tree care and maintenance that costs $10. “We want to make sure these trees survive and are an asset to the city, which means people need to know where to plant them, how to plant them and how to take care of them” America said.

Trees await new homes thanks to a generous tree grant from the Apache Foundation.

The trees have arrived, and just in time for planting season.  They are  approximately 5-6 feet tall and come in a variety of species suitable for the Oklahoma climate, and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Organizations and individuals can download an application here:

• Free Tree Application for Non-profits, Faith-based Groups & Agencies – 2009-2010
• Free Tree Application for Individuals – 2009-2010

You may also call (918) 610-8733 or email trees@upwithtrees.org for more information.

The program is made possible by the Apache Foundation’s nationwide tree-planting initiative. After it reached its first million tree goal in April 2009, the Houston-based company made a pledge to plant an additional million trees across the country. “They’ve had a tremendous impact on Tulsa’s tree canopy already, and we are excited to partner with them again,” America said. In the earlier round, dozens of Tulsa organizations, including churches, private schools, local governments and non-profits received trees and planted them. “So many of these groups are working on very limited funds and they would never have the money for trees, and they have been tremendously grateful,” she said. The free tree program gives a big boost to the ReGreen Tulsa effort, a partnership among Up With Trees, the City of Tulsa and the Tulsa Community Foundation geared toward replacing trees lost in the devastating 2007 ice storm.

Public Service Co. of Oklahoma has donated space to temporarily store the trees at its facility at 3600 S. Elwood Ave. Groups can make pickup arrangements or have the trees delivered for a small fee; individuals will be able to pick up their trees following their one-hour Tree Care class held at the Up With Trees headquarters at 1102 S. Boston Ave. The workshops will be scheduled for several times in November, and participants must pre-register. Schedules are available on our online Up With Trees Calendar, we will add additional classes as needed.

Thanks to the Apache Foundation’s Tree Grant Program, Tulsa and surrounding area organizations have been able to plant trees on their properties that have not only enhanced their landscapes, but provide shade, clean particulates from the air, produce oxygen, harbor birds and other wildlife, reduce noise, store carbon, and prohibit soil erosion.  Friends and volunteers of Up With Trees know the countless health benefits trees can give back; alone, just one tree can extract as much as 1 ton of CO₂ from the atmosphere.  “Properly planted trees can play vital roles in saving costs on utilities and grounds maintenance, in addition to the aesthetic improvement they provide.  We are thankful to both Apache Foundation and the volunteers who help make this opportunity possible,” America said.