Applications open for Community Canopy Tree Program

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Applications are now open for the South Bend Venues Parks & Arts Forestry Department’s Community Canopy Tree Program, which offers South Bend residents the chance to plant a native Indiana tree in their yards free of charge.

The program is a collaboration with the City of South Bend and aims to provide an inclusive platform for residents to give back to the environment.  

“This program is twofold,” said VPA Forester, Brent Thompson. “It gives residents the opportunity to play a crucial role in our environment, while ultimately increasing South Bend’s tree canopy.”

Click here to apply for a tree.

Applications will be open until all available trees are claimed. The program has a goal of planting 140 trees within the city in 2022. 

Residents will be notified by mid-November about whether or not they have been selected to receive a tree.

Once selected, the Urban Forester will visit your property to make sure the tree will not conflict with surrounding infrastructures and utilities and to ensure the site is suitable for a tree to thrive.

Trees will be planted in spring 2022.

Click here to learn more about the Community Canopy Tree Program and to see which tree species you could have planted in your yard this spring.