Mayor Nutter and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Launch TreePhilly and Citywide Tree Giveaway Program

Program engages city property owners, businesses and neighborhood residents rnto improve their communities by planting treesrnrnPhiladelphia, February 14, 2012- Mayor Michael A. Nutter launched the TreePhilly Initiative: a campaign led by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PP&R) in partnership with the Fairmount Park Conservancy and Wells Fargo & Company. The campaign directly engages Philadelphia property owners, businesses and neighbors to plant and maintain trees. This initiative will also include a citywide yard tree giveaway, through which residents can request a free yard tree to plant on their private property. Wells Fargo is sponsoring the yard tree giveaway; both Wells Fargo Bank and the Fairmount Park Conservancy will provide marketing and promotional support for the campaign.rnrn“TreePhilly is an investment in our city’s future,” said Mayor Nutter “Our city will be healthier, safer and more attractive as a result of the trees we plant through this program. The TreePhilly campaign is the result of a Greenworks goal to plant 300,000 trees by 2015 and will provide Philadelphians with the knowledge and support they need to successfully plant and care for a new tree. I would like to thank Wells Fargo & Company and the Fairmount Park Conservancy for their support of this important initiative.”rnrn“Our data tells us that the most effective way to reach our ambitious tree planting goal is to engage with communities and neighborhoods to encourage people to plant trees on their own property. TreePhilly gives us the resources and mechanisms to do just that.” said Michael DiBerardinis, Deputy Mayor for Environmental and Community Resources.rnrnTreePhilly will galvanize residents, property owners, neighborhood organizations, civic associations, businesses and other partners to reach its goal by offering a number of different programs to allow Philadelphians to get involved with planting trees on both public and private property. By working in neighborhoods throughout the City, TreePhilly and its community partners will be able to plant trees that will benefit these neighborhoods for years to come.rnPAGE 2rnrn“Wells Fargo is pleased to provide a $75,000 grant to TreePhilly because this program will make Philadelphia more attractive and environmentally sound for generations of future Philadelphians,” said Vince Liuzzi, Wells Fargo’s regional president for Greater Philadelphia/Delaware. “Tree Philly aligns with our commitment to environmental stewardship and will further the vision of Philadelphia’s founding father, William Penn, of Philadelphia as a ‘greene country towne.’ ”rnrnCitizens can get involved with TreePhilly by planting and caring for trees on their property, volunteering for a tree planting event in their local park, or sponsoring community service days to plant and maintain trees. For more information, citizens can visit www.TreePhilly.Org or call 215-683-0217.rnrn###