River birch trees are some of the free trees being distributed by AC Electric.
April is tree-planting month. For the 10th year, Atlantic City Electric is giving away nearly 1,000 free trees to customers through the Arbor Day Foundation’s Energy-Saving Trees program. The Earth-friendly and environmentally focused initiative can help reduce the use of energy and save money.
One free tree is available per household on a first-come, first-served basis by visiting arborday.org/ace. Choose from several species, including one-gallon bald Cypress, river birch, serviceberry and sweetgum. Trees will be mailed to homes by the end of May.
In addition to saving energy, trees provide benefits to a community including:
- Improving air quality
- Improving water quality
- Reducing stormwater runoff
- Adding to the visual appeal of your neighborhood
The Arbor Day Foundation website includes interactive tools to determine the best location on a property to plant your tree and save the most in energy cost. Properly planted trees can provide a homeowner many benefits, such as reducing energy use through summer shading and by slowing winter winds.
Before planting any tree, homeowners are required to call 811 at least a few days prior to digging to learn the approximate location of underground utilities. Taking the right steps before digging will help prevent potential injury and avoid accidental damage to underground utility lines that could disrupt services to surrounding neighbors.
If you are unable to reserve a free tree through the internet, call 855-670-2773.
