Green Columbus’ Eighth Annual Tree Giveaway
Since 2019, Green Columbus has hosted an annual tree giveaway to grow and nourish our city's urban forest. This year, we renew our commitment with our eighth giveaway. Columbus residents can reserve and pick up a free 4-6 feet tall native tree at three convenient distribution sites across the city: Linden, the South Side and Franklinton.
Tended by an ISA-certified arborist and nurtured by dedicated volunteers at our Linden nursery, these saplings are cultivated for strong roots and a lifetime of growth. Residents can choose from five native Ohio species, each bringing its own quiet magic to a yard, from the fiery autumn leaves of the red maple to the steadfast, sprawling shade of the grand red oak. The black cherry, sycamore and tulip poplar round out the five, and every tree offers a sanctuary for local wildlife and a lasting gift to our soil.
These distribution sites put power directly into the hands of neighbors. Columbus's tree canopy currently covers 22% of the city, with a goal of reaching 40% by 2050. Because 70% of our urban forest grows on private property, backyard plantings are the single most effective way residents can shape the environmental future of our city.
Why We Host Tree Giveaways
Trees are the living heartbeat of a neighborhood. They clean the air we breathe, cast cool shade across sun-baked streets and drink up heavy rains to soften summer floods. Beyond environmental defense, trees stitch communities together, creating welcoming green spaces that foster safety, connection and peace.
They are also nature's original public health prescription. Children raised beneath a lush urban canopy tend to face lower rates of asthma than those in neighborhoods stripped of green space. Time spent among trees lowers stress, lifts spirits and invites neighbors outside to play and connect.
Yet the neighborhoods bearing the heaviest burdens of climate change and extreme heat are often the ones with the fewest trees. Green Columbus hosts tree giveaways year after year to rewrite that story, planting health, shade and hope until every neighborhood in Columbus shares in the quiet comfort of a thriving urban forest.
