Folks in Fort Lauderdale are embracing the green life, snapping up every last one of the free trees offered by the city in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, a total of 453 tree orders placed, a move that's rooted in the goal to grow the city's canopy coverage by 2040.
With an initial count of 366 orders—now blooming to a full claim on all available foliage—the city's residents showed a sapling-sized window of opportunity was enough, securing their free trees before the stock wilted down to zero, in what's been a rapidly sprouting initiative beginning back on March 19 when the city rolled out the green carpet for this arboreal bounty, residents were allowed to choose from several energy-saving species including Bald Cypress, Live Oak, and Crape Myrtle ‘Muskogee’ with the latter getting a boost by 75 additional trees due to high demand as cited on the City of Fort Lauderdale website.
This eco-friendly push is not just about planting a tree and calling it a day; it's a strategic move towards a greener, healthier and more energy-efficient world, offering benefits such as energy reduction, value appreciation, carbon footprint shrinkage, alongside improved air quality, and stormwater runoff management, benefits all wrapped up in the leafy embrace of a single tree.
Mark your calendars and keep the browsers tuned to the City of Fort Lauderdale digital platforms, because according to city officials, future tree giveaways are budding on the horizon, the residents who missed out this time can take a leaf out of their neighbor's book for the next giveaway, ensuring that everyone has the chance to contribute to the city's lush landscape vision, as the Fort Lauderdale tag itself has been recognized as a Tree City USA and Tree City of the World by the Arbor Day Foundation, so it's clear, they've got the chops in the forestry department.
Questions about how to get in on the urban forestation can be directed to the Arbor Day Foundation at 855-234-3801, [email protected], or Fort Lauderdale's Sustainability Division at sustainability @fortlauderdale.gov.
