givelively-hero-sp23

Tree Adoption registrations now open

Get a tree (or two) for your yard through our Tree Adop­tion program!

Add beau­ty to your land­scape with trees from Tree Pitts­burgh. We select those that are either native or proven hardy for our region. This year, we are offer­ing shrubs as well as trees! There is still a lim­it of two plants per household.

Trees and shrubs should be plant­ed on pri­vate prop­er­ty where you have per­mis­sion to plant. Trees may not be plant­ed in the grass between the side­walk and the road (they aren’t mature enough to sur­vive in these heav­i­ly-traf­ficked areas).

Tree Adoption Events — Spring 2023

Here are your tree adop­tion links for Spring 2023!
  • March 25 — Hamp­ton REGISTRATION FULL
  • April 1 — Munhall REGISTRATION FULL
  • April 22 (Earth Day!) — Oakland
  • April 28 (Arbor Day!) — Bethel Park REGISTRATION FULL
  • April 29 — Mel­lon Park REGISTRATION FULL
  • May 13 — Sewickley
  • May 18 — Tree Pitts­burgh REGISTRATION FULL

We don’t offer a wait­list for our adop­tion events. How­ev­er, if you’re able to come at the end of an event we may have trees remain­ing from peo­ple who do not pick up their trees. No reg­is­tra­tion required, just stop by!

Spring 2023 Tree Species

Ten tree and shrub species are up for adop­tion this spring. Please note that not every tree is avail­able at each loca­tion. You can read more about them in this Spring Species PDF or see a brief descrip­tion below:
  • Alleghe­ny ser­vice­ber­ry: full sun to par­tial shade, mature height 15–40 feet
  • Amer­i­can sycamore: full sun, mature height 75–100 feet
  • Bur oak: full sun, mature height 60–80 feet
  • But­ton­bush (shrub): full sun to par­tial shade, mature height 5–12 feet
  • Cor­nelian dog­wood: full sun to par­tial shade, mature height 15–25 feet
  • East­ern red­bud: full sun to par­tial shade, mature height 20–30 feet
  • Red osier dog­wood (shrub): full sun to par­tial shade, mature height 6–9 feet
  • Sweet­bay mag­no­lia: full sun to par­tial shade, mature height 10–35 feet
  • Vir­ginia pine: full sun, mature height 15–40 feet
  • Yel­low buck­eye: full sun to par­tial shade, 50–75 feet

Tree Adoption FAQs

How big are the trees at pickup?
Trees and shrubs are in 2‑gallon con­tain­ers, mea­sur­ing 8 3/4” in diam­e­ter and 8 ½” deep. All plants will fit in your vehicle.

How do I plant my tree?
Once you receive your tree, you’ll need to know how to plant it! We’ve cre­at­ed a video and a fly­er to guide you through plant­i­ng your tree.

What species should I choose and how do I know the right place to plant on my property?
When choos­ing a species and where to plant it, it’s impor­tant to con­sid­er a few fac­tors so your tree will thrive for years to come! First, be sure to con­sid­er the avail­able space in your yard for roots and branch­es as the tree matures. Sec­ond, it’s impor­tant to note if there are any over­head util­i­ty wires or under­ground util­i­ty pipes where you are con­sid­er­ing plant­i­ng the tree. Check out the Right Tree, Right Place guide from the Arbor Day Foun­da­tion for help in deter­min­ing the best tree and plant­i­ng loca­tion for you.

How does Tree Pitts­burgh choose what tree species to offer?
Many fac­tors are con­sid­ered when Tree Pitts­burgh staff choos­es the avail­able trees for a tree adop­tion event sea­son. As our trees are grown in our Her­itage Nurs­ery, we con­sid­er what is avail­able at that time of year and what trees grow well in our area. We always choose native species when pos­si­ble, but occa­sion­al­ly offer a few non-native species that, with the chang­ing cli­mate as well as new pests and dis­eases, will also thrive here.

I want a flow­er­ing tree for my yard, but you always run out of those quick­ly. Why don’t you offer more?
This is a great oppor­tu­ni­ty for us to dis­cuss the impor­tance of bio­di­ver­si­ty! Bio­di­ver­si­ty is the vari­ety of life in the world or in a par­tic­u­lar habi­tat, or ecosys­tem. Tree bio­di­ver­si­ty is impor­tant for many rea­sons. Dif­fer­ent trees offer food and habi­tat for many dif­fer­ent types of insects and birds, which sup­port a healthy ecosys­tem. Dif­fer­ent trees offer us dif­fer­ent but equal­ly impor­tant ben­e­fits, such as lots of shade or fruit to eat. By increas­ing the diver­si­ty of the species of trees in our neigh­bor­hoods, we improve the qual­i­ty of life for all beings!

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