JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville is offering to plant a new tree outside your home for free.
In an effort to make Jacksonville green again, the 630-CITY Tree Planting Program is giving homeowners the ability to give back to the environment while beautifying their yards.
"People can call the city and request a tree be planted in their right of way and the trees come from the city's tree mitigation fund," said Richard Leon, the city's urban forest manager.
This new program is focused on reforesting urban areas.
"The goal is to get as many trees planted in the city of Jacksonville as we can," Leon said. "When these trees get fully mature, you'll have a shaded sidewalk to walk your dogs down. You'll have a shaded street to park your car on. As foresters, we're always planting trees for the future."
Joseph Jordan, a new homeowner in Springfield, is one of the first recipients of the new trees.
"It's exciting because our house is brand-new. We just moved down here," Jordan said. "We have this oak tree in front of our house. It's probably 100 years old -- been here as long as you can remember -- so it's cool to see something start from small and be able to watch it grow over the years that we're here. So it's really neat."
Homeowners can request up to two new trees to be planted in their yards, free of charge.
Keeping the trees watered is the responsibility of the homeowner.
The trees are planted with 35-gallon water bags around them. To make sure your tree is properly watered, the homeowner simply has to fill the bag of water up when it is running low.
To apply, call 630-CITY (630-2489), hit 0 and tell the operator you're calling about your free tree.