Penn gives free trees to faculty, staff

Doing its part to green the city, Penn is giving away free trees.

Beginning today, Penn will give over 400 trees to faculty and staff members who live in the tristate area as part of its Creating Canopy Initiative.

Coming off of last year’s successful pilot, the program will expand its audience to staff who live in the suburbs, as well as staff in the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

The program works in conjunction with the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department as well as the Pennsylvanian Horticultural Society to increase the region’s overall tree count.

Anyone who wants to receive a tree need only sign up. After today, there will be three additional pick-up days.

Creating Canopy is part of the larger TreePhilly plan to bring 15,000 trees to the city by the end of this calendar year, according to Chief of Staff in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Environmental and Community Resources Patrick Morgan.

TreePhilly, in turn, is related to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s larger tree-planting program called “Plant One Million,” which seeks to plant one million trees in the tristate area.

“We believe that the only way to get to our ambitious goals is to engage with citizens and engage with institutions to get a little creative with how we plant trees,” Morgan said.

Both TreePhilly and Plant One Million provide free trees to those who sign up. TreePhilly provides to residents who live within the boundaries of Philadelphia, while Plant One Million works with residents in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Last year, Creating Canopy gave away over 300 trees to staff who live in Philadelphia. Facilities and Real Estate Services spokesperson Jennifer Rizzi said this year there is a waitlist of suburban residents.

Last year’s partnership with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department helped Penn earn a Tree Campus Designation from the Arbor Day Foundation.

The trees being given away were specifically selected for their ability to grow in this region’s climate. They include red maples, pink dogwoods and white oaks, among many others.

Creating Canopy educates participants on how to take care of their trees, as well as the benefits they can confer.

Those who participated last year were pleased with the program and the trees.

“I love my tree and I’m very thrilled it bloomed again,” said Beth Delaney, associate director of Gift Planning, who received a pink dogwood last year. “Later this spring it will flower again. That will be great.”

Ilene Wilder, director of Marketing and Business Development for Penn Business Services agreed and talked about the other benefits a tree can bring.

“Aside from it being beautiful, a tree-lined street increases property values,” she said. “They absorb CO2 and are good for our environment.”

Wilder encourages “everybody who wants a tree and who can get a tree” to do so through Creating Canopy.

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