The City of South Bend is partnering with Indiana Michigan Power for the 3rd Annual Tree Give Away. The event will take place in Howard Park Saturday, April
21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“We will be giving away 330 free 4-to-7 feet tall bare root trees,” said Brent Thompson, the City of South Bend’s forester.

This is the 25th Annual Earth Day celebration and the City of South Bend's 15th year as a certified Tree City USA. A variety of trees will be provided, including Eastern
Redbud, Tatarian Maple, Canada Red Cherry, Donald Wyman Crabapple, Prairifire Crabapple and Ivory Silk Japanese Lilac.

“The give away is intended to reinforce our message about the importance of planting the right tree in the right place,” says I&M spokeswoman Marta Elliott. “Low-growth trees
are great for landscaping and should not grow large enough to interfere with overhead utility wires or structures. Our goal for this collaboration with the City of South Bend is
to help sustain the urban forest and power reliability at the same time.”

The tree give away event promotes the "The Right Tree in the Right Places” program that informs residents of how to plant trees that will not interfere with power lines.