RIDEM opening registration for free Energy-Saving Tree Program

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s Energy-Saving Trees program will return with registration opening April 12.

RIDEM is partnering with the Rhode Island Tree Council, the Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape Association, and the Arbor Day Foundation to give away over 2,000 trees.

The department added that participants will be able to reserve one tree that can be picked up at one of four tree pickup events as well as one tree that will be mailed directly to their home.

Available tree species include paw paw, tree lilac, Kousa dogwood, Princeton elm, bald cypress, tulip tree, white flowering dogwood, eastern redbud, river birch, pin oak, sycamore, sugar maple, and black cherry.

“Planting trees in our neighborhoods makes them greener and provides shade to keep people cooler and healthier in hot weather,” RIDEM Director Terry Gray said. “These are investments in our communities and the quality of life throughout Rhode Island, particularly in our cities. From an environmental perspective, planting a tree in the right place can improve air quality, capture and store carbon, and help manage stormwater runoff.”

More information on registration for the program can be found here.