Laura Young
reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com
Friday, Jan. 20, is Florida Arbor Day, a day that is marked by the planting of trees and emphasizing the need to care for trees as a way to sustainably protect our planet's natural resources. Often, people planting trees on Arbor Day dedicate them to a loved one.
Duke Energy Florida uses this day annually to give away free trees for its customers across the state. In collaboration with the Arbor Day Foundation's Energy-Saving Trees program, Duke will give away 1,200 free trees in one-gallon containers. If you are one of Duke Energy's customers in Suwannee, Hamilton or Lafayette County, you can request a free tree online at arborday.org/dukeenergy, until all trees are distributed. Available tree species include the dahoon holly, sweetbay magnolia, bald cypress, crape myrtle (pink) and crape myrtle (red). The one-gallon trees are shipped directly to customers’ homes with planting and care instructions. They are expected to be delivered in time for National Arbor Day, April 28, 2023.
The company encourages strategic tree planting to maximize environmental benefits, conserve energy and help keep power on.
The University of Florida/IFAS service says, “Planting the right trees in the right place can help you save energy in your home year-round. Trees can help keep your home cool in the summer by both providing shade and cooling the air around them. In colder months, trees can provide protection from winter winds, helping reduce the cost and amount of energy needed to heat your home.”
If you choose deciduous trees that lose their leaves once a year and plant them on the south, east and west sides of your home, you will enjoy cooling shade in the summer; in the winter, warming sun will radiate through the bare branches. Of the trees Duke is giving away, the crape myrtle and bald cypress are deciduous. Sweetbay magnolias are semi-deciduous, and hollies are evergreen.
Any tree you plant – whether deciduous, evergreen or something in between – is a boost to the area's natural resources. Trees provide not only calming beauty in the landscape but also environmental benefits. The Arbor Day Foundation highlights the power of trees to mitigate effects of climate change because they are an efficient, inexpensive source of carbon capture. They also promote tree planting because trees can nurture biodiversity that keeps our environment balanced and healthy.
When deciding to plant a tree for energy savings and environmental benefits, it's also very important to take power lines on your property into consideration.
Duke Energy advises, “When planting within 20 feet of an overhead power line, you should choose large shrubs or small trees that grow no more than 15 feet. Trees planted 20 to 50 feet from a power line should grow no more than 40 feet tall. And trees that grow more than 40 feet should be planted more than 50 feet from power lines.”
Duke Energy's tree give-away offers its customers a way to join the Arbor Day Foundation as it makes a big impact around the world. The foundation has strategically placed nearly 500 million trees in over 50 countries! Duke Energy Florida, for its part, has given away nearly 11,000 trees since 2017 and is donating $50,000 to the Arbor Day Foundation to purchase and distribute the trees through its Energy-Saving Trees program.
Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president, says, “To provide reliable service, it’s important we maintain trees and other vegetation along the lines that deliver electricity to our customers. By planting the right tree in the right place, you are assisting us in providing the safe, reliable service you depend on, while helping to keep the environment healthy and beautiful.”
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.