Sacramento Tree Foundation

9 months later and I felt an update is now due as we just had a new shipment of beautiful trees delivered about 4 weeks ago all of which have been transplanted into our beloved dirt aka: our Back yard.
In June of 2013 after just moving here to Sac I discovered via a Craigslist ad from the Sacramento Tree Foundation that they offered free shade tree’s to its customers regardless of whether or not your a renter or homeowner. At the time we were renters and our rental home was devoid of trees so we jumped on it like white on rice and the trees flourished in our rental home as we took great care of them and watered them like mad…
Flash forward 9 months later and now were homeowners and found our self in the same situation as our new 1950’s home with original trees that were once there but the previous occupants who were idiots cut them all down with the exception of just a couple so I called Sacramento Tree Foundation & Matt the Forester came out and the rest is history…
Their Free Shade Tree Program link for your viewing pleasure:
LOVE:
The lightening quick, always friendly & pleasant, eager to help woman who goes by the name of June that has always answered my incoming calls and pleasantly schedules the future appointment for the Forester to come out to our Casa’s. They love their work and take pride in it. It shows even over the phone. They also follow up with emails which makes remembering your appointment to caring for your trees a breeze.
Matt the Forester who came out to both of our homes in order to do an ‘in-​home’ walk through of the yards and see how many trees we would qualify for as well as where we should plant them in order to get the energy efficiency that their future growth and shade will bring. He also went the extra mile for me as being new to this new home there were a few trees in our yard I wasn’t able to identify myself and he helped me to do that. Invaluable.
Since the free trees are based on sizes from small, medium and large as well as their growth patterns: slow, moderate, moderate-​fast, fast and so on and so forth it makes selecting your trees from their list of trees they offer much more time efficient & ensures that your specific needs are fulfilled & your working with what you have as far as your property goes as is your picking the best tree for your particular conditions.
WE went with 3 Sawleaf Zelkova’s which have a gorgeous canopy effect when growing as well as 2 Red Leaf Maples.
— A list of their current trees are listed here and I suggest that you see what’s available before your Forester comes out to your Casa. I ALSO LOVE the fact that on their website next to each trees description are actual Locations in Sac where established trees of each variety live & grow so you can take a stroll out to see one in action which may help you make your choices of your future trees… Just remember that proper pruning and shaping can great affect any tree so keep that in mind as well.
And now a note: Growing tree’s doesn’t take a lot of work BUT it does take consistent watering. If your not going to do right by the trees and provide the water they need then I vote you don’t waste the energy, resources & life of the tree & plant astro turf instead.

I have worked with, and volunteered for, the Sacramento Tree Foundation for about a year now. The staff is very knowledgeable about trees and loves this community.
I highly recommend their tree planting events. They provide all the tools (shovels, gloves, etc.) and make snacks available.

SAVE A TREE: It’s all right to be a tree-​hugger and downright cool to be part of the Sacramento Tree Foundation. A non-​profit founded in the early 80s through the City, SacTree now has a small ‘miracle-​worker’ crew. Besides watching homeowners in my old neighborhood benefit from the ‘free shade tree’ program, I’ve gone on SacTree tree tours (River Park, Gibbons Park), attended their special events (e.g. Nobel prize winning environmentalist Wangari Maathai) and recently collaborated with UC Master Gardner Fran Clarke on a pro bono Southside Park tree ID project. Check
for goodies like tree advice, tours/​events/​vol opps or elementary school curricula.