TAMPA, Fla. — In celebration of Earth Month and just a day after Arbor Day, the City of Tampa held a tree giveaway, giving away hundreds of trees for free to residents.
The goal of this event is to replenish the city’s canopy, which faced significant losses during the recent hurricane season.
This year’s event featured a diverse selection of trees, ranging from young saplings to larger specimens, all part of the "Trees for Tampa" campaign.
"An estimated 8% of our canopy was destroyed during the hurricanes, so we really need to ramp this up to make sure we have the trees that will provide the needed services that they do. The trees filter the oxygen, they provide shade, they bring down the temperature, they help with stormwater, they just provide so much to our community,” said Mayor Jane Castor.
The city’s goal is to hand out 30,000 trees by the year 2030.
Pasco County woman trying to rebuild mobile home after hurricanes
"I cried, of course, because I've worked very hard getting it nice, which has been difficult for me since I lost my husband and being alone,” Kelly Welty said.
Welty's mobile home lost its roof during Hurricane Milton. She said it was the only one in the Buena Vista community to get totaled by a tornado.
