Stay Grounded with Leon County’s Adopt-a-Tree Program

Stay Grounded with Leon County’s Adopt-a-Tree Program

Leon County is now offering three different native trees for you to adopt and plant at your home for free. The Adopt-a-Tree program is available for residents of Leon County who live outside the city limits. For City of Tallahassee Adopt a Tree program information, visit: www.talgov.com/AdoptATree .  

After you have signed up, Leon County Public Works will assist homeowners with tree placement and installation between February and March 2019. In return, the County requests that the homeowner waters the tree three times a week for one year. The tree may be planted anywhere between a house and any publicly-maintained road or any privately maintained road with public access.

This year, the program offers three species:

• Yaupon Holly - a small tree or large shrub that takes well to pruning. It can be trained to be a hedge, tree, or even a topiary or espalier plant to add a statement to your landscape. Yaupon Holly can tolerate full sun to partial shade and a variety of soil types.
• River Birch - a medium-sized tree that typically grows up to 40’-50’ in height with either single or multiple trunks. The River Birch is known for its pinkish brown bark, which peels off in papery, film-like curls. River Birch is tolerant of full sun and partial shade and a wide variety of soil types, including areas that stay wet for a short period of time.
• Nuttall Oak - a large shade tree that is tolerant of a wide variety of soils, even poorly drained, wet types. However, it does appreciate full sun. The Nuttall Oak is known for its beautiful red color.

To fill out an application, visit www.LeonCountyFL.gov/AdoptATree or stop by the Leon County Public Works building at 2280 Miccosukee Rd. Applications will be accepted through January 31, 2019, but the tree inventory is limited. Sign up now!

For more information, contact Dean Richards, Leon County Public Works at (850) 606-1400 / RichardsD@LeonCountyFL.gov, or Mathieu Cavell, Leon County Community and Media Relations at (850) 606-5300 / CMR@LeonCountyFL.gov. 

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