Registration to Receive Free Trees at the 2026 FreeTree Giveaway Opens March 21

The City of Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations (OSI) will host the 10,000 Trees Initiative 2026 FreeTree Giveaway on Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Mitchell Elementary (3550 Pittsview Drive). Residents of Washtenaw County are invited to register for a 30-minute timeslot to pick up one to four tree seedlings, free of charge, to take home and plant on their property. Registration is required and opens on Saturday, March 21. The registration link will be posted on the 10,000 Trees Initiative webpage at www.a2gov.org/10ktrees. Supplies are limited. This has been a popular program in past years, so those interested in reserving trees are encouraged to register as soon as possible after registration opens.  

All trees will be small, bare root seedlings that will fit easily inside vehicles or can be carried home on foot or by bike. Registrants will be able to select their tree species during registration. Available species include Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis), Choke Cherry (Prunus virginiana), Pawpaw (Asimina triloba), Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera), American Linden/Basswood (Tilia americana), American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), and Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra). Additional information about these species is available at www.a2gov.org/10ktrees. Tree planting and care information will be provided with every tree. 

Volunteers are welcome. Those interested in volunteering can learn more about the opportunity and sign up at https://10ktrees.a2gov.org/2026treevolunteer.  

This work is made possible thanks to a collaboration with the Washtenaw County Conservation District who help to purchase the trees available at this giveaway. Additional trees and native plants can be purchased through the Conservation District's Tree and Native Plant Sales. Learn more at https://www.washtenawcd.org/.  

In addition to the FreeTree Giveaway, OSI will host the Fourth Annual Ann Arbor Climate Teach-In at Mitchell Elementary School from 1 – 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 25. The theme of this year’s event is building community resilience - providing residents, business owners, students, sustainability professionals, and community leaders with concrete actions they can apply to enhance the resilience of individuals, neighborhoods, institutions, and our community as a whole. Attendees of the FreeTree Giveaway are invited to register for and attend the Teach-In before or after picking up their trees. Learn more at a2climateteachin.com.

To learn more about the 10,000 Trees Initiative, visit www.a2gov.org/10ktrees or email Sean Reynolds, OSI Senior Analyst, at sreynolds@a2gov.org. To learn more about the city’s A²ZERO carbon neutrality plan, which supports the 10,000 Trees Initiative and dozens of other programs to advance the city’s goal of achieving a just transition to community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030, visit www.a2zero.org.