130 free trees are still available to City of Sarasota residents as part of the Community Canopy program, which gives away trees to help expand Sarasota's urban canopy while reducing energy bills. Five Florida-friendly, regionally sourced species are available: Chickasaw plum, Crape myrtle, Red maple, Shumard oak and Sweetbay magnolia. On the website, residents can use a calculator tool to estimate the annual energy savings from planting a tree in the most strategic location on their property. Participants are expected to care for the tree and plant it in the location specified by the online tool. A one-gallon tree will be delivered directly to the resident's home. This is the third Community Canopy tree giveaway for the City of Sarasota. Since the current giveaway started on April 23, approximately 100 trees have been reserved online. Including this round, over 350 trees will have been given away through the Community Canopy program to bolster the urban canopy and help with climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. The program is funded by the City's tree replacement fund, which collects a portion of tree removal permit dollars to be used for urban canopy protection programs.  A grant from the Florida Forest Service enabled the City to double the number of trees given away this time. City residents can reserve one free tree per household by visiting the website below. Residents are encouraged to register soon while supplies last.

Community Canopy