FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2025

Charlottesville Utilities is Offering Free Trees to City Residents

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Charlottesville Department of Utilities is excited to announce that the Arbor Day Foundation’s Energy-Saving Trees Program is back for the fall! Marking the program’s second fall offering, and sixth overall program opportunity, residential Utilities customers in the City of Charlottesville can continue the tree-mendous success of this program with the strategic planting of an additional 150 free trees. The strategic planting of these trees will help households conserve energy, reduce energy bills, and grow the City’s tree canopy.

The strategic planting of trees provides a variety of benefits for individual households, as well as the broader community. Properly planted trees can reduce the amount of energy a home requires to remain comfortable by providing a barrier to cold winter winds and delivering shade in the summer. Trees also provide several benefits for the entire community, such as increasing capacity for carbon sequestration, improving air quality, and providing more effective stormwater filtration and runoff reduction to help keep pollutants out of water supplies.

With guidance from the City’s Arborist, the trees available this fall include sweet pepperbush, black haw viburnum, eastern red cedar, and white oak. Tree reservations are limited to one tree per residential service address and made on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Monday, October 6. Reservations can be made by accessing Utilities’ interactive tree portal developed by the Arbor Day Foundation at www.arborday.org/charlottesville. The portal provides simple step-by-step instructions that focus on education and maximizing environmental impact, and helps participants calculate where to specifically and strategically plant trees for the greatest energy- and money-saving benefit.

Safety is essential to a successful landscaping project, and this program serves as a great opportunity to reinforce safe digging practices with the community. Prior to planting a tree, customers are expected to follow the law and contact Virginia 811 at least three working days before planting to have the location of buried utility lines on their property marked by a professional. Knowing the location of buried utilities helps prevent their damage, and a potentially hazardous situation. The service is free and allows customers to dig safely while planting their tree.

For more information about the Energy-Saving Trees Program and the Arbor Day Foundation, contact Utilities Outreach at utilitiesoutreach@charlottesville.gov.

Media Contact
 Ryan Willis
 Utilities Outreach Program Coordinator
 City of Charlottesville
 434-970-3686
willisr@charlottesville.gov