Got notice from NeighborWoods about free trees (Austin, Live Oak: neighborhood, live)

[cBach]

I got a notice from NeighborWoods about free trees for my yard. They even marked where they believed I should plant a tree. I looked it up and they appear to be legit (they want to increase "urban forests" and decrease the urban heat island effect) but I wanted to make sure.

Anyone else get a notice from them and flag(s) in your yard? It's strange but they actually marked the exact spot that I was going to be planting a tree anyway so it's nice to be able to get a free tree.

I just wanted to make sure there's "no strings attached".

[BriansZ]

http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/uplo...ghborwoods.pdf

It looks legit to me. A 5 gallon tree is pretty small, but it's free for you....

[Trainwreck20]

Some group (not sure it is the same one) did this some years ago in our neighborhood. We were in the process of putting in our own trees, so did not take them up on it. What type of tree is it they are offering?

Btw, I am a firm believer in planting small trees. We have anecdotal evidence in our own yard that they surpass the larger ones after a few years.

[CptnRn]

It looks like they evolved out of the City of Austin tree program. The City gave me two trees years ago as part of that program. They did mark the locations they wanted them placed.

NeighborWoods is sponsored by the City of Austin’s Climate Protection Program to lower summer temperatures and reduce energy consumption by investing in tree canopy cover that will shade paved streets.

[OpenD]

It's legit. It's part of a loose movement called urban reforestation which is committed to getting more trees into our cities to replace some of the trees cut down to build the cities, for both beautification and ecological improvement.

A buddy of mine in Seattle and his volunteer crew were responsible for over 100,000 trees being planted on both city and private property as a charitable effort when I lived there. Totally cool!

[10scoachrick]

The freebies were offered in Avery Ranch a couple of years ago. IF you had sizable trees(2 or more), you didn't get the notice. In our immediate neighborhood, I'd say nearly everyone planted the freebies and perhaps 2/3 of them are doing OK. It's amazing how many people choke their trees with tethers and stakes but never move or REmove them over time. Some HOAs have guidelines for the removal of the support stakes, but I've seen as many as three angle-iron stakes surrounding a tree for over 4 years! Sometimes the tethers have been cut or untied for many months. In a lot of cases, folks just 'stake' them and forget 'em.

I'd skip the Live Oaks if there are other options, BTW. Should be some faster growing, better looking trees in the mix.

[AustinTraveler]

We were given this offer about 5 years ago and picked a scrawny Monterey Oak. That tree is now an impressive 15 foot gorgeous tree. Monterey Oaks do great here!

And yes, staking a small tree is totally unnecessary. It does, however, need regular trickle watering until it is established.