The Highland Community Foundation looks to find homes for the remaining trees they are donating to Highland residents. Currently, 21 of the 100 trees offered are still available at no cost to Highland resident. Of the remaining trees, only a limited amount of White Dogwood and Shadblow Serviceberry species remain.
Highland homeowners can reserve their free trees at www.arborday.org/highland, through November 8th. The remaining trees are available on a first come-first served basis. Highland residents will be allowed up to two trees. An online tool will help participants plant trees in the most strategic location near their homes to enable maximum environmental benefit and help estimate annual money savings that will result from planting the trees. Homeowners can reserve their trees if they pledge to plant, water and care for them in the location provided by the online tool.
With assistance from a $2,500 NIPSCO Environmental Action Grant, the Highland Community Foundation is once again providing free trees to homeowners via a Community Canopy Project, an Arbor Day Foundation program that helps expand the tree canopies of cities and towns across the United States. The trees will provide a multitude of community benefits including air pollutant absorption, storm water filtration, carbon sequestration and energy conservation along with helping homeowners lower energy bills through strategic planting.
The “Community Canopy Project” online tool was created by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Davey Institute, a division of Davey Tree Expert Co., and uses peer-reviewed scientific research from the USDA Forest Service’s i-Tree software to calculate estimated benefits. In addition to providing approximate energy savings, the tool also estimates the trees’ other benefits, including cleaner air, reduced carbon dioxide emissions and improved storm water management.