Trees
PLANT A FREE TREE
Want a free street tree for your home/property? Click the button below to apply.
Once approved, your tree will be planted with the help of PHS Tree Tenders.
If you apply by April 15* your tree will be planted in the Fall, if you apply by Nov. 23* your tree will be planted in the Spring.
*Deadlines may vary within a few days.
Help us Re-Tree Mt. Airy
WMAN is committed to preserving and growing Mt. Airy’s lush tree canopy.
That means planting new trees and replacing those that are aging. It also means working hard for tree equity – planting trees on less shady blocks. It takes all of us, working together, and planting it forward to KEEP MT AIRY GREEN.
Trees give us so much!! Better health, shade for cooler temperatures – especially as the earth gets hotter, home for birds and animals, stormwater management and flood reduction, places for children to play, better mental health. Trees also reduce crime and increase property values.
Volunteer
Join our Environmental Committee to help our climate justice efforts. We need people with all kinds of skills – fundraising, supportive roles for planting day, spreading the word (marketing, canvassing, writing articles)
Got more questions? View FAQs below.
Will roots damage my sidewalk or overhead wires?
Fact: The city now knows more about placing the right tree in the right spot. Trees are given adequate room to grow, reducing sidewalk conflicts and only understory trees are planted under wire.
Will the roots burst my pipes?
Fact: Trees only rarely go into pipes, and only when (1) the pipe is already damaged and (2) the tree is very thirsty. Most tree roots grow only in the first 2 feet underground; pipes are usually deeper than that (sewer lateral, for ex. is 6 or 7 feet below ground).
Donate
Plant it Forward to Keep Mt. Airy Green
Don’t have space for a tree? Want to be part of the Tree Equity Movement? Just generally love trees?
Donate to our local shading and greening efforts. Donate to our free yard tree giveaway fund which targets sections of our neighborhood with a sparse tree canopy and neighbors who might not otherwise be able to purchase a tree. In this way, you help us keep Mt. Airy the green & shady oasis we know and love. Your support allows for tree equity within the community. By “planting it forward” you can increase the shade on blocks in most need and maintain shade of aging tree-lined blocks.
Our goal is to raise $5,000 to giveaway 500 trees each year. Over 5 years, we will plant 2,500 new trees – significantly increasing shade, supporting local wildlife, and keeping Mt. Airy the urban oasis we all love.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
—Chinese Proverb
1 tree removes 10 pounds of pollution
10 trees lower the temperature by 20 degrees
100 trees improve the mental health of community & provides habitat to hundreds of animal species
Other ways to get involved:
Become a Tree Tender
Tree tenders help plant street trees and are vital to the efforts to plant more trees.
Plant a Yard Tree
Worried about how to water your tree?
Get a free rain barrel!