On April 10, the Texas Trees Foundation is giving away complimentary trees to North Texas residents that live up to one mile away from future Cool School Neighborhood Parks.
Residents that qualify to receive one to two free trees must pre-register on the Texas Trees Foundation website and live near the following campuses:
- Esperanza “Hope” Medrano Elementary
- Anson Jones Elementary
- Mockingbird Elementary
- Leila P. Cowart Elementary
The free trees, provided by the North Central Texas Council of Government, will need to be planted in the public right-of-way in front of their house. Residents receiving a tree agree to water and tend to the trees during its establishment period.
Each tree will be accompanied by a bag of mulch and tree planting and maintenance instructions, and sites will be pre-marked for utility conflicts.
“Studies show that more trees in neighborhoods increase residential property value and enhance community pride,” said Ashleigh Pettus, Texas Trees Foundation Urban Forester. “The newly planted trees will help mitigate the urban heat island effect and improve the infrastructure of the city.”
The Texas Trees Foundation Cool School program, in partnership with the Dallas Independent School District, transforms selected school campuses into safer, cooler outdoor learning spaces with the goal of increasing outdoor education and park access. These campuses fall into park-desert areas, neighborhoods that do not have a park within a 10-minute walk.
Through the NeighborWoods program, the Texas Trees Foundation is providing complimentary trees to homeowners that live within the park desert to increase neighborhood tree canopy coverage.
These trees will enhance the neighborhood in multiple ways such as providing shade, reducing heating/cooling costs, and beautifying the neighborhood.
“We are delighted to be working with North Texas residents to increase the tree canopy in their neighborhood,” said Norm Daley, Texas Trees Foundation Director of Operations. “The newly planted trees will improve residents’ quality of life and provide them with all the benefits that trees bring to their community, such as shade, clean air, and energy conservation.”
