Hundreds of City of Miami residents take advantage to receive up to two free fruit trees at the Green Miami’s Tree Giveaway event. Photo: Jorge R. Perez/City of Miami.

(MIAMI, FL) –  Following the success of the first two Fruit Tree Giveaway events held May 30 and June 13, the City of Miami distributed an additional 750 fruit trees (mango, tamarind, avocado and lychee) on Saturday July 25, 2009.

“The Fruit Tree Giveaway events are an important part of the City of Miami’s Tree Master Plan and shows our commitment to preserving and restoring the city’s tree canopy,” said Mayor Manny Diaz.  

Experts were on site to teach hands-on how to plant and care for the trees. Educational material about avoiding “hatracking” (also known as improper pruning that removes more than 25 percent of the tree’s canopy) was also available for participants.  

City residents were eligible to receive up to two four-ft. trees on a first-come, first-serve basis, per household, upon presenting proof of residency, such as a driver’s license or ID card with a City of Miami address and a utility bill with a City of Miami address.  

“The Fruit Tree Giveaway gives residents an opportunity to be proactive in increasing our tree canopy,” said Commission Chairman Joe Sanchez.  “The fact that people are personally selecting these trees increases the likelihood that they will be cared for and will flourish for years to come.”

The fruit tree giveaway events are part of the City’s Green Miami Campaign and its first-ever Tree Master Plan that creates minimum standards in order to enhance, restore and stabilize the City’s tree canopy cover to a minimum of 30 percent by 2017 as well as to preserve and enhance Miami’s urban canopy. This effort aims in reaching out to City of Miami residents interested in planting fruit trees, creating shade in their yard and decreasing their carbon footprint. 

“A fruit tree is a much better gift than a fruit basket,” said City of Miami Commissioner Tomas Regalado District 4.

Residents can also request that free shade trees are planted in the right of way near their homes through their Neighborhood Enhancement Team (NET) offices. New requests for trees from city residents are welcome by the City of Miami NET offices by calling 305-960-4NET or your local NET office. 

For additional information about Green Miami, please call the Miami Office of Sustainable Initiatives at 305-416-1601, visit http://www.ourgreenmiami.org/ or http://www.miamigov.com/ 

ABOUT THE GREEN MIAMI CAMPAIGN
Mayor Manny Diaz created the City of Miami Green Commission in 2006 to allow citizen input and expert insight on the city’s green policies. In April 2008, Mayor Diaz and the Green Commission announced the launch of the Green Miami Campaign, an exciting initiative to restore Miami’s tree canopy into a thriving urban forest through community tree plantings and education. The Green Miami Campaign will increase community awareness of the benefits of trees and how to protect them. The campaign is a partnership between Mayor Diaz’s Green Commission, the City of Miami, and community tree planting and educational organizations such as Citizens for a Better South Florida, Hands on Miami, Treemendous Miami, Roots in the City, Operation Green Leaves, and the Treeman Trust.