Update: The City of St. Catharines Spring Tree Giveaway is sold out, and registration is closed. Please check the City's social channels this fall for the Fall Tree Giveaway registration date.
Registration opens Wednesday, April 16 at 8 a.m. for St. Catharines residents to reserve a free tree, as part of the City’s 2025 Spring Tree Giveaway.
Residents can select a free tree in advance online, with Sugar maple, Eastern white cedar, Pagoda dogwood, and Highbush cranberry species available. The number of trees is limited, and varieties are offered online on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration officially closes on April 25 at 4 p.m. or when the stock is all reserved.
Trees are available to St. Catharines residents only. Once successfully registered, residents will then need to pick up their tree on Saturday, May 3 from 8 to 11 a.m. at Lancaster Park, 31 Wood St. Proof of residency, such as a driver’s licence or recent utility bill, will be required for tree pickup.
“Environmental stewardship is a key pillar of the City’s Strategic Plan and maintaining and expanding a healthy tree canopy is crucial to that effort,” Development Horticultural Technician Mike Kraft said. “We are grateful to the residents who reserve one of these native species trees and plant it on their own properties, helping the City build on its efforts to increase and enhance the tree canopy in St. Catharines.”
Benefits of a healthy tree canopy include reduced storm water runoff, cleaner air, and captured greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
Residents who reserve a tree in advance online must present a copy of their QR code, digital or paper, at time of pickup. QR codes will be emailed to the email address residents provide on their online request form.
Anyone wanting to pick up a tree for someone who has pre-registered online must also present their QR code, digital or paper, at time of pickup.
Pickup times for each native species trees at Lancaster Park on May 3 are:
There is a limit of one tree per household. Households attempting to obtain more than one tree may have all their requests voided.
Learn more about each native tree species and register for a free tree at stcatharines.ca/TreeGiveaway.
The City’s semi-annual tree giveaways are a key initiative as the City works toward achieving its target of 25 per cent tree canopy coverage. With limited City-owned land available for tree planting, the City annually provides 1,000 trees to residents for planting on private property to help reach our targets. Since 2017, nearly 8,000 trees have been planted on private property as a result of the tree giveaways.