HomeMy WebLinkAboutTree giveawayContact: Debbie Townsend, Communications Coordinator
Phone 952-826-0346 • dtownsend@EdinaMN.gov • EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Get a Free Tree and Compost for Your Edina Yard
Edina, Minn., March 29, 2021 – The City of Edina is giving away a tree seedling, along with a bag of compost to help it grow, to Edina residents who promise to plant the tree at their
Edina home.
The City has 1,000 seedlings and bags of compost to hand out May 3-6 to those who register in advance. One type of tree will be given out per day. Limit one tree per household.
May 3: White pine
May 4: Black walnut
May 5: Sugar maple
May 6: Pin oak
At pickup, white pine seedlings will be 7-15 inches tall; pin oak 18-24 inches; sugar maple and black walnut 2-3 feet.
At full maturity, these trees range reach 50-80 feet tall. White pine and pin oak are the narrowest, usually spreading 20-45 feet maximum; sugar maples spread 40-50 feet; black walnut
can be up to 75 feet wide. Find tree photos and details including sun and soil information at arborday.org/trees/treeGuide/.
The compost comes from the facility that processes material from Edina’s new curbside organics program. Organics Recycling Coordinator Twila Singh noted that some of the 900 tons of
organics residents have recycled so far makes up that compost.
“This is how organics recycling comes full circle,” Singh said. “What people put in their carts that previously would have been waste is now returned to them in a beneficial way to use
in their yards.”
The compost is a new addition to the tree giveaway, which started in 2020 when COVID-19 precautions canceled the City’s traditional Arbor Day tree planting. Instead the City gave away
500 bur oak seedlings, which residents quickly claimed.
“When I’m driving through Edina, I often see those trees we gave away planted in people’s yards,” City Forester Luther Overholt said.
Register for a tree at bit.ly/MaxRegisterActivities.
Pickup will be 8-11 a.m. and noon-2 p.m. on the day people registered for in the parking lot of the former Fred Richards clubhouse, 7640 Parklawn Ave. You must be on the registration
list to receive a tree and compost. Before arriving, prepare a spot in your car by lining it with a tarp, plastic bag or old towels as the roots and the bag may be damp or dirty. A
Park Maintenance worker can place the tree and bag in your vehicle if the spot is accessible and prepared. Please wear a mask as you pull up and stay in your car if possible; remember
to social distance.
Any trees or compost not claimed will be given away first come, first served from 8-11 a.m. and noon-2 p.m. May 7 at the site. No registration necessary, but you must show a valid ID
with an Edina address.
A few days before you plant the tree, call 811 so the tree location can be checked
for underground utilities. After digging the hole in your yard where the tree will
grow, Overholt recommends filling it with half compost and half dirt to give the
tree a healthy head start. Learn more about planting a bare-root tree
at bit.ly/PlantingTreesDNR.
For more information about the trees, contact Overholt at LOverholt@EdinaMN.gov. For compost information, contact Singh at Tsingh@EdinaMN.gov.
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Edina, Minn., March 29, 2021 – The City of Edina is giving away a tree seedling, along with a bag of compost to help it grow, to Edina residents who promise to plant the tree at their
Edina home.
The City has 1,000 seedlings and bags of compost to hand out May 3-6 to those who register in advance. One type of tree will be given out per day. Limit one tree per household.
May 3: White pine
May 4: Black walnut
May 5: Sugar maple
May 6: Pin oak
At pickup, white pine seedlings will be 7-15 inches tall; pin oak 18-24 inches; sugar maple and black walnut 2-3 feet.
At full maturity, these trees range reach 50-80 feet tall. White pine and pin oak are the narrowest, usually spreading 20-45 feet maximum; sugar maples spread 40-50 feet; black walnut
can be up to 75 feet wide. Find tree photos and details including sun and soil information at arborday.org/trees/treeGuide/.
The compost comes from the facility that processes material from Edina’s new curbside organics program. Organics Recycling Coordinator Twila Singh noted that some of the 900 tons of
organics residents have recycled so far makes up that compost.
“This is how organics recycling comes full circle,” Singh said. “What people put in their carts that previously would have been waste is now returned to them in a beneficial way to use
in their yards.”
The compost is a new addition to the tree giveaway, which started in 2020 when COVID-19 precautions canceled the City’s traditional Arbor Day tree planting. Instead the City gave away
500 bur oak seedlings, which residents quickly claimed.
“When I’m driving through Edina, I often see those trees we gave away planted in people’s yards,” City Forester Luther Overholt said.
Register for a tree at bit.ly/MaxRegisterActivities.
Pickup will be 8-11 a.m. and noon-2 p.m. on the day people registered for in the parking lot of the former Fred Richards clubhouse, 7640 Parklawn Ave. You must be on the registration
list to receive a tree and compost. Before arriving, prepare a spot in your car by lining it with a tarp, plastic bag or old towels as the roots and the bag may be damp or dirty. A
Park Maintenance worker can place the tree and bag in your vehicle if the spot is accessible and prepared. Please wear a mask as you pull up and stay in your car if possible; remember
to social distance.
Any trees or compost not claimed will be given away first come, first served from 8-11 a.m. and noon-2 p.m. May 7 at the site. No registration necessary, but you must show a valid ID
with an Edina address.
A few days before you plant the tree, call 811 so the tree location can be checked
for underground utilities. After digging the hole in your yard where the tree will
grow, Overholt recommends filling it with half compost and half dirt to give the
tree a healthy head start. Learn more about planting a bare-root tree
at bit.ly/PlantingTreesDNR.
For more information about the trees, contact Overholt at LOverholt@EdinaMN.gov. For compost information, contact Singh at Tsingh@EdinaMN.gov.
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