The Arbor Day Tree Giveaway is a project created in 2014 by the Fort Worth Garden Club Environmental Advocacy Committee.  The giveaway is held in the Fall since Arbor Day is celebrated in November in Texas.  Plus, this is a great time to plant trees in our area!

Over the last 7 years, the Garden Club has dedicated a portion of its budget to purchase and distribute 100 – 200 trees each year.   As of 2020, the Club has provided a total of 1,000 tree seedlings to the residents of Fort Worth.

Tree varieties are selected for their suitability for N Central Texas.  Shumard Red Oak, Chinese Pistache, and Live Oaks were distributed this year.

As Covid continued to make its presence known we were encouraged to be creative about where and how to distribute.  We practiced social distancing with masks, yet also were able to educate the public about how to plant and care for trees.

Two distribution locations were selected.  The first, in a church parking lot, during their weekly food distribution drive-through, each family received a free tree.  The second, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden; as visitors drove through to pick up their Fall plants, they also received a tree!

While it has been a confusing and crazy year, the Garden Club was able to celebrate Arbor Day in Texas by providing tree seedlings to residents of Fort Worth and educate them about the benefits of trees in the home landscape, neighborhoods and Fort Worth!