PROGRAMS

TREE PLANTING AND GARDENING

The Department of the Environment (DoE) makes it easy and affordable for you to plant trees and garden at home, at work, and in your community.

With your help, close to 850 native trees were planted last year. Everyone knows that trees grace our lives with beauty, but trees also enhance our lives in very practical ways. According to TreeBaltimore, when you add these benefits together, a reasonable estimate of the economic and environmental benefits provided over the life of a single tree is $57,000.

Benefits of Planting Trees: 

  • Trees protect from flooding by reducing the volume of water rushing through gutters and pipes following a storm. 

  • Trees serve as natural water filters, which means cleaner water when the runoff reaches rivers and lakes.

  • Trees improve soil conditions by preventing soil erosion, and helping soil absorb and retain nutrients.

  • Trees give shelter to wildlife and provide them with food and protection.

  • Trees improve property values by muffling noise, and providing shade, privacy, and beauty to the neighborhood. 

Our Tree Planting Programs

DoE has several programs to assist residents with planting new trees around their homes and communities.

Tree ReLeaf Grant Program

Do you want funds to landscape your neighborhood, parks, streets or more? Through the Tree ReLEAF Grant Program, the County provides funds to community groups and municipalities for planting native trees and shrubs in public or private common areas. 

Small community-based projects are eligible to receive up to $5,000 per project, and municipalities may receive up to $10,000 per project. Examples of projects that have received funding include tree plantings in parks and on playgrounds, memorial and street tree plantings, and re-forestation projects along streams.

Questions? See the Tree Releaf FAQs. Ready to apply? Fill out the Tree ReLEAF Grant Application (PDF). ·      For more information, contact 301-883-5810.

Arbor Day Every Day

Is your school looking to educate students on the importance of trees? Arbor Day Every Day provides free trees for schools to plant and maintain on school grounds. This program educates students on the everyday importance of native trees, empowers them to enhance their community and provides funds for planting projects. Schools interested in applying to the Arbor Day Every Day Program should:

  1. Submit an Intent to Apply Form (PDF)

  2. Schedule a consultation with the Program Coordinator

  3. Submit a Program Application

Upon receipt of the Intent to Apply form, the Program Coordinator will contact you to schedule a consultation, which is required for program consideration. During the consultation, additional information will be provided on completing the Program Application, developing a tree planting plan for your campus and creating a post-planting maintenance plan.

Please note: To ensure your trees survive, planting during the summer is not allowed. Plan to plant your trees during the spring or fall.

Right Tree, Right Place Program

The Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T) partners with the Neighborhood Design Center (NDC) for the Right Tree, Right Place (RTRP) Program. This program works to increase the urban tree canopy, improve the air temperature and quality, mitigate storm water runoff, and increase communities’ beauty. 

The program removes and replaces “street trees” (trees that are in the public right-of-way) with trees built to survive and thrive in that particular environment.

The RTRP Program works closely with homeowners' and civic associations, as well as the Prince George's County Council. Since its inception, the RTRP Program has worked with 170 communities in Prince George’s County, has removed 12,000 trees, and has planted 33,600 trees.​​
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​​For more information about the RTRP Program, please contact Program Coordinator for Prince George's County, Yasha Magarik, at trees@ndc-md.org.

Lawn Care Clinic

There are 3.8 million acres of turf in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, so minimizing the use of pesticides and fertilizers and reducing stormwater runoff from lawns is vitally important for local and regional water quality. You can learn how to save money, improve your lawn, and help clean our water at a Lawn Care Clinic. Using a volunteer's yard, we assess the lawn, investigate the soil, do a weed transect, and demonstrate proper aeration. Participants learn how to improve and maintain their lawns while saving money and reducing polluted runoff.

Scheduling a Lawn Care Clinic

If your community, house of worship or group is interested in hosting a lawn care clinic, contact Carole Ann Barth or call 301-883-5810. Scheduling for COPE's lawn care clinics and other interactive events are available on a first come first serve basis, free of charge. Find information on other COPE programs.