Lincoln neighborhoods and communities across the U.S. are experiencing a mass tree decline with the removal of ash trees due to the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department analyzed available data and found there are large low to moderate income residential areas in Northeast and Northwest Lincoln that have been hit hard by EAB. The focus of this event is getting trees into the hands of owner-occupied homes where households may not have the disposable income to purchase a private tree.
To help get trees planted in these high need neighborhoods, Lincoln Parks and Recreation has selected Air Park West Community Center and Arnold Heights Pool as the site of the 2023 Tree Distribution on Saturday, October 14 at 9 am. Trees will be available for pick up in a drive-thru style event. Trees have been selected because of their suitability to the local climate and information on selecting, planting and maintaining your tree will be available.
Trick or Tree 2023 is funded by grants made available through the Arbor Day Foundation and Lincoln Parks Foundation.
Read through the following pages for information about available trees, the give-away event, and planting and caring for your tree.
The trees available for the giveaway are locally grown and well suited for the Eastern Nebraska climate. This year there is a good mix of large and small deciduous trees and evergreens.
Evergreen:
White Pine – (easy to grow, tolerates part shade to full sun)
White Spruce – (easy to grow, tolerates part shade to full sun)
Catalpa – (flowers, is drought resistant, grows fast, and provides good shade)
Baldcypress –(good in wet spots but also pretty drought tolerant - we have lots in parks, but not as street trees)
Swamp White Oak – (good drought resistance, durable, and long-lived)
Canada Red Chokecherry – (cool color changing leaves, flowers and provide fruit for birds)
Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry – (fall color, flowers and provide fruit for birds)
Shadblow Serviceberry – (fall color, flowers and provide fruit for birds)
Learn more about each tree
Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry
Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry
Scientific Name: Amelanchier × grandiflora
Autumn Brilliance serviceberry trees are smaller and offers beauty across the seasons. In the spring, fragrant white flowers bloom and blueberry-like fruits emerge in the summer. The leaves turn bright orange before a brilliant red in the fall. Edible berries are popular with local wildlife and can be used in jams, jellies and pies.
AUTUMN - Leaves turn bright red
- Fully grown height 15' - 25' and 15' - 25' width
- Full Sun, Partial Sun/Shade, 4-6 hours
- Loamy, moist, well drained soil
- Fast growth rate
- The fruit this tree produces is loved by birds. Yields 3-8" edible fruit, which attracts birds and can be used in jams and jellies
Images from Great Plains Nursery
Baldcypress
Scientific Name: Taxodium distichum
The baldcypress is the classic tree of southern swamps, but also does well in yards or along streets. The origin of the common name is lost to time and there are only guesses as to why they’re referred to as bald. Their cones are tough and green in autumn but become more woody as the season progresses.
AUTUMN - Provides majestic orange-red fall color before falling off tree.
- Makes a great urban tree
- Is classified as a deciduous conifer, meaning it will lose its needles in the fall
- Shape: Pyramidal
- Growth Speed: Moderate
- Fully grown height 50' - 70' and width 20-30'
- Sun: Full Sun, 8-12 hours
- Moist, well drained soil
- Baldcypress form characteristic groves in swampy areas that support complex and variable ecosystems and are used by many wildlife species.
Images from Great Plains Nursery
Canada Red Chokecherry
Scientific Name Prunus virginiana 'Canada Red'
This native American chokecherry variety boasts green leaves in the spring that turn into a stunning dark purple in the mid-summer. The Canada Red Select is also called the Canada Red Chokecherry. The species is colorful and hardy, boasting green leaves in the spring that turn dark purple in the summer. The small reddish-purple fruits are considered poisonous when raw, but can be carefully processed into jams and preserves.
AUTUMN - Leaves turn yellow
- Produces small, reddish-purple edible fruits
- Displays red-brown bark and hanging clusters of white flowers that are each 3-5" in length
- Is hardy and can tolerate many harsh conditions
- Oval shape with moderate growth rate
- Mature growth 20' - 25' tall and 15' - 20' wide
- Sun Preference Full Sun, Partial Sun, 6-12 hours
- Soil Preference Moist, Well Drained
Images from Great Plains Nursery
Northern Catalpa
Scientific name: catalpa speciosa
This is a tree that demands your attention, with showy white flowers, giant heart-shaped leaves, dangling bean-like seed pods, and twisting trunk and branches. With all of these unique features, the Northern Catalpa is popular with kids as well. Can be expected to begin flowering about 7 years after planting. Should not be planted where fruit and flowers can drop on sidewalks, as they are slippery right after they fall.
AUTUMN - Leaves turn yellow or brown
- Medium to large deciduous tree with showy flowers
- Grows 40-70 feet tall and 20-50 feet wide
- Moderate to fast growth rate
- Full sun to part shade, 4-6 hours
- Prefers moist conditions, well drained soil
Images from University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Regional & Community Forestry
Shadblow Serviceberry
Shadblow Serviceberry
Scientific Name: Amelanchier canadensis
Shadblow serviceberry is an early-flowering small deciduous tree that features beautiful clusters of slightly fragrant, white flowers. After flowering, green berries emerge which mature to a dark purplish-black in early summer. This tree has 3 seasons of interest, making it a desirable specimen tree in pollinator gardens or as an accent tree. Edible berries are popular with local wildlife and can be used in jams, jellies and pies.
AUTUMN - Leaves turn bright red
- Fully grown height 25' and 25' width
- Partial Sun/Shade, 4-6 hours
- Loamy, moist, well drained soil
- Moderate growth rate
- The fruit this tree produces is loved by birds. Yields 3-8" edible fruit, which attracts birds and can be used in jams and jellies
Images from Great Plains Nursery
Swamp White Oak
Scientific Name Quercus bicolor
The swamp white oak species is as the name suggests well-adapted to low-lying areas with poor drainage like a swamp. It was introduced in 1800 and can live more than 300 years making it a great tree for generations after you. It’s leaves are dark green that have a leathery texture.
AUTUMN - Leaves turn yellow, bronze and red-purple
As the name suggests, this oak is found growing wild in low-lying and swampy areas — often moist bottomlands or river banks. But it grows just as well in an urban or suburban setting, with tolerance to compacted soil and (perhaps surprisingly) drought. The swamp white oak is a great choice for a shade or street tree, with the ability to grow at a moderate pace and live more than 300 years. It’s the kind of tree you plant for not only your enjoyment but for the benefit of generations to come.
- Mature Height 50'-60' and width 50'-60'
- Growth Speed Medium
- Shape Rounded
- Sun Preference Full Sun, 8-12 hours
- Soil Preference Acidic, Drought, Wet
- Wildlife Value: This oak species attracts a variety of birds.
- 1" acorns
Images from Great Plains Nursery
White Pine
White Pine
Pinus strobus
White pines are widely used as Christmas trees, featuring long, slender, blue-green needles in bundles of 5 that are soft and flexible. The white pine is the only five-needle pine native to eastern North America and reaches maturity at 150-200 years. These trees produce slightly curved, elongated brown cones 3-8 inches in length with smooth scales.
AUTUMN - Keeps needles year round
- Long-lived needled evergreen
- Grows 50-80 feet tall and 20-40 feet wide.
- Moderate growth rate
- Full sun (8-12 hours)
- Moist or well-drained soil
- Elongated cones, 3-8" length
Images from University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Regional & Community Forestry
White Spruce
Scientific Name Picea glauca
The species name glauca is in reference to the gray-green look of the foliage. The tree is popular for bonsai and Christmas trees. In 1535, Jacques Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence River and saw white spruces for the first time and calimed them to be “as beautiful…as one could wish for.” The trees, he said, were “the finest trees in the world.”
AUTUMN - Keeps needles year round
- Provides beautiful year-round color
- Columnar shape: grows narrow, straight, and tall
- Tolerates most soil conditions
- Can withstand wind, heat, cold, drought, crowding, and some shade
- Fully grown height 40' - 60' and up to 10' - 20' wide
- Wildlife Value: Besides providing nesting sites and shelter, white spruces provide food for many kinds of wildlife. Crossbills, evening grosbeaks and red-breasted nuthatches prefer the seeds. The foliage is eaten by grouse, rabbits and deer. Red squirrels cut open cones to eat the seeds, and they feast upon young, tender spruce shoots.
Images from Arbor Day
The tree giveaway at Air Park West Park will begin promptly at 9 a.m., but we recommend arriving early to ensure tree availability. The first 300 cars will receive a tree. Please plan to have a space to hold a 6-foot-tall tree in a 3 gallon container. Trees and containers can be laid gently on their side during transport. This is strictly a drive-thru style event and asks patrons to not leave their vehicle. Staff and volunteers will load trees into your vehicle.
Air Park West Park is located off NW 48th Street and Mathis Street in northwest Lincoln.
Follow signs for one way traffic and directions from volunteers in yellow vests. Tree giveaway starts at 9 a.m. and lasts until trees are gone.
Tree Information sheet! Volunteers will hand out an information sheet on trees.
Stay in line, and follow the cars to get a tree in the large parking lot near the ball fields. Volunteers will load them into your car.
Before planting your tree, you must file a locate request to ensure that your tree is planted in a safe spot (free of any buried utilities) on your private property. To file a location request online visit ne1call.com or dial 811.
www.ne1call.com 811
Your tree is ready to plant after you receive a cleared ticket from 811. Trees should be planted within a few days after receiving your 811 clear ticket. Follow the guide for best tree location that you received in your swag bag. Trees can be planted in the Fall until mid-November before the soil freezes. Please monitor weather and soil forecast to ensure survival of new tree.
Water your tree daily and monitor weather.