This Saturday, October 19, Free Tree ReLeaf will give away two free trees per household to EPB customers as long as supplies are available.
The program, a partnership between Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, the City of Chattanooga and EPB, helps preserve Chattanooga’s unique ecology, reduces stormwater damage and offers EPB Energy Pros expertise on where to plant trees to prevent power outages.
- Where: Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center Native Plant Nursery, 400 Garden Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419 (off Cummings Highway on the west side at the base of Lookout Mountain)
- When: Beginning Saturday, October 19, until supplies run out. Hours are Thursday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- What to bring: Be prepared with your address so staff and volunteers can verify you live in EPB’s service area.
- How to prepare: Visit epb.com/freetreereleaf to learn about available trees. Trees cannot be reserved before arrival.
“Chattanooga’s greenspace makes our city special, our health better and is central to our work to become America's first National Park City,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “Free Tree ReLeaf with EPB and Reflection Riding helps preserve our environment with native species while providing the right education. Thanks to these treasured community partners we are making sustainable investments in the canopy of our community, improving quality of life for all Chattanoogans.”
Customers can select from seven native plant species. Planting guides on-site and epb.com/freetreereleaf give customers information about the ideal setting for each tree or shrub, how to plant them to prevent power outages and directions for care.
- Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
- Paw Paw (Asimina triloba)
- Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia)
- Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum)
- Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)
- Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus)
- White Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus)
“Free Tree ReLeaf is an important extension of our Native Plant Nursery to reintroduce more native species in our community with the right information residents need to help them thrive,” said Mark McKnight, President and CEO of Reflection Riding, a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental education and conservation. “With EPB and the City, we’re making a difference every spring and fall to help our local ecosystem thrive.”
Reincorporating native plant species provides multiple benefits:
- Reduces stormwater runoff and the risk of flooding.
- Protects water quality.
- Improves air quality because trees absorb rainwater through their roots and release moisture into the air.
- Nourishes wildlife, birds and insects like butterflies.
- Requires less maintenance and water than plants not from this area.
To help plants thrive as long as possible, EPB developed materials for residents to understand where to plant trees, so they don’t eventually grow into power infrastructure and cause outages.
“EPB’s focus on improving our electric system’s reliability begins from the ground up, beginning with the safest place to plant trees,” said EPB CEO David Wade. “We want to keep our community’s greenspace healthy, which is why Free Tree ReLeaf is an important initiative.”
The free tree program was created as a partnership between the City of Chattanooga and Reflection Riding intended to improve stormwater drainage and water quality following the Easter tornadoes in 2020. EPB began participating in fall 2022, which expanded eligibility to all EPB customers.