Tree Giveaway Coming Again in 2025
In 2024 Eastside Audubon Society partnered with the Carbon Capture Foundation to give away over 700 trees. Carbon Capture Foundation is a local nonprofit that distributes trees for planting programs that utilize the power of community, landowners, schools, conservation districts, volunteers, and forestry professionals to ensure the trees are the happiest they can be, and capture as much carbon as possible.
These trees are for anyone! If you have extra space on your land or are looking for more native, environmentally friendly backyards, you can plant a tree and help to make a difference. The trees we are giving away are bare root trees, which means they will require more care than a potted specimen typically purchased from nurseries.
We’d like to map and keep a record of the trees we giveaway. Kindly help us by registering your tree(s) by letting us know where they were planted!
Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)
Bigleaf Maple is aptly named bearing leaves that can measure 1’ across. It is grows to 100’ in height with a width of 45.’ Found in our forest alongside Douglas fir in moist to dry soil.
Birds that benefit from these trees: Chickadees, Finches, Nuthatches, and Brown creepers.
Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
One of the most common conifers in our local woodlands, Douglas firs easily grow to 125’ high and 30' wide. Found in moist to dry sites at low to high elevations.
Birds that benefit from these trees: Red Crossbills, Townsend’s Warblers, Pacific Wren, Varied Thrush, and Steller's Jay.
Garry Oak (Quercus garryana)
This stately oak is usually found on dry, rocky slopes at low elevations. Although some may remain shrubby, it often grows to 75’ in height and 60’ wide.
Birds that benefit from these trees: White-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, and Red-breasted Sapsuckers. Studies show that the genus Quercus hosts more caterpillars and other insect life than any other genus of tree in the northern hemisphere
How to Plant a Bare Root Tree
Bare root trees are trees that are dug and stored without any soil around their roots. Planting a bare-root fruit tree is one of the easiest ways to add a permanent, food-producing plant into your garden. Once they leave the nursery, bare root trees need to get in the ground within a week at the longest. With no soil, the roots can dry out and die if left exposed for any time.
Step 1: Remove all sod and weeds from a two-foot circle.
Dig a hole wide enough and deep enough for roots to spread out.
Step 2: Mound some soil in the center of the planting hole.
Position the roots so they hang down over the mound and are not turned up or crowded.
Step 3: Plant trees and shrubs to the depth they were planted in the nursery.
The junction of the stem and root should be level with the ground.
Step 4: Backfill the planting hole with loose soil.
Gently pack the surface after filling the hole.
Step 5: Build a berm around the planting hole to hold water.
Water the plant thoroughly to eliminate any remaining air pockets.
Step 6: Mulch around the tree, careful not to allow mulch to touch the tree trunk!
Step 7: Install the protection tube to deter deer, rodents, and rabbits. (See video below for instructions).
Instructions to install the protection tube