Property owners are limited to one tree or shrub per address
The Lower Gwynedd Township Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) has partnered with Tree City USA in order to conduct the 2024 Tree Giveaway. Do you know how to obtain a free tree or shrub for your property? Read on, and understand the program’s details.
Now in its third year, the registration for the Tree Giveaway opened on Thursday, Sept. 5, starting at 9 a.m. The township has taken part in the raffling of free plants to help increase the community’s tree population.
“As of 2012, Lower Gwynedd Township had about 50% of its 9.3 square mile area covered by its tree canopy,” said the township’s website. It is likely that the tree canopy has declined since 2012, due to additional clear-cut development and the decline of native ash trees, due to the invasive and destructive emerald ash borer (EAB).”
Though it shines with a sparkly green dazzle, the EAB is an invasive wood-boring beetle. And, the United States, and certainly not Lower Gwynedd Township, is not its intended home.
Image courtesy of the USDAAccording to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), this pest hails from Asia, and is reportedly responsible for the death and decline of tens of millions of ash trees throughout North America.
“EAB lays its eggs in the bark crevices of ash trees,” states the APHIS website. “The eggs hatch, and the larvae burrow into the tree, where they feed.”
This action damages and often kills the tree as a result. The EAB has been found in a total of 36 states and Washington, D.C. after it was first detected in 2002 in southeast Michigan, reported the APHIS.
Lower Gwynedd Township plans to battle back against these pesky vermin in two ways:
One way is in the township’s control. As previously reported by Wissahickon Now, the Lower Gwynedd Township staff is already working on a strategic plan to help the area’s wooded areas. The supervisors permitted money often given “in lieu of planting trees” by builders and planners to actually go back where it belonged: to better the community’s trees.
However, unlike much of the township’s owned land, which is forest and parks, private properties in the area have far more open space that could accommodate more trees.
To encourage the addition of trees, the supervisors are now asking area residents and property owners to register to receive one for no cost.
“This year we are supplying 300 Lower Gwynedd Township property owners with one free tree or shrub, per Lower Gwynedd address, on a first-register, first-choice basis.
Pre-registration must be done via the form available on the township website here. Those that receive a tree will need to pick it up at the Giveaway on Oct. 5. Via the form you file, all done online via Google Forms, you will select your preferred tree type and your pick-up time for Oct. 5.
“A limited number of each tree species and time slots between 8 a.m. and noon are available,” said the township’s site. As you attempt to fill out your form, if a tree type is no longer listed, it is filled/no longer available. The same will go for time slots, so if a certain time you wanted is gone, select another.
Image courtesy of the LG EAC“We are requesting everyone chose a half-hour time slot to prevent a long live on traffic on Bethlehem Pike, and to prevent long waits to pick up your tree,” said the site. Trees and planting supplies, including a bag of mulch, should be retrieved on the designated date and time at the Township Administration Building, located at 1130 N. Bethlehem Pike, Spring House, Pa.
The township’s site noted that, since you are selecting your type online, the arrival time slot will not impact availability or likelihood of obtaining a designated type of tree or shrub.
Those that complete the registration will receive a confirmation email with the information. Save the email and present it on your phone or via a print-out on the day of pick-up. The township reminds residents to check their spam folders for an email from contactus@lowergwynedd.com if they cannot find the confirmation.
The township also advises that those that come to pick up their free tree or shrub bring a vehicle that is capable of carrying it. A potted tree up to six feet in height, or a shrub or flower tree up to three to five feet tall, will need the required room in a vehicle to safely transport it.
“We will be giving out trees rain or shine,” said the township’s site. “We will load your tree in your vehicle.”
Residents are asked to bring a tarp of other protective material to cover the interior of your car if necessary. In addition to the tree, the selected planting will include a bag of mulch to “help your tree grown and keep lawnmowers at a distance,” said the site.
Deer protection is not provided this year by the township, however helpful tips on how to protect your planting from deer was posted on the site here.
For more information or to reach out to the township regarding the program, call 215-646-5302 or visit https://www.lowergwynedd.org/government/environmental-advisory-council/tree-giveaway/.
