Aurora residents can reserve free trees in energy-savings program

The city of Aurora is throwing shade at its residents.

They can get free trees on Saturday through an energy-saving trees program, which also provides tips on where to plant them to maximize their benefit.

The Arbor Day Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to planting trees, and Primoris Services Corp., a contractor in infrastructure for utility, energy and renewables markets, are partnering to give trees to Aurora residents who reserve them in advance, according to a news release.

Arbor Day Foundation's Energy-Saving Trees program was created to help guide people through planting trees in their yards to maximize the benefits of the trees, according to the program website.

People can make reservations on the website and tree pick-up will happen on Saturday between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the Primoris Renewable Energy office, 3800 Lewiston St., Aurora. The trees will be between three and six feet tall in five-gallon buckets, according to the news release.

The website also has an online tool to help people reserving trees figure out where to plant the trees to save the most energy using scientific research from the USDA Forest Service's i-Tree software.

Residents who live outside of Aurora's participating zip codes can also participate and reserve a free tree through direct mail, according to the news release. Delivered trees will be between one and three feet tall in one-gallon buckets.

"Trees around homes will not only help reduce the amount of energy your home requires, but they also add to your property value, reduce your carbon footprint, improve the air quality, and more effectively catch stormwater runoff," the program website says. "It is our intention that the free trees we provide be a gift to you and the neighborhood community."