The Eugene-Springfield team is giving away 3000 native trees and plants – all bare root! Here’s why.

Sometimes trees come in a container, sometimes in burlap, and sometimes you just get bare roots with no soil at all. It’s sort of a funny sight to see a tree’s roots existing above ground. It’s also really cool to see their shape and structure. There are a lot of advantages to planting bare root trees, even if they can sometimes be slightly trickier to plant.

“It’s an important stock type,” says Eugene Director Erik Burke. “It’s cheaper and more sustainable than container or ball-in-burlap.”

The sustainability of using bare root trees is for a few reasons. The first is that you don’t dig up the soil. The second is that they are so much lighter and easier to transport. Anyone who has had to lift a ball-in-burlap tree knows just how heavy they can be.

“Another benefit is that you can see the entire root system and address any problems before you plant,” Erik says.

Friends of Trees will be giving away 3,000 plus native trees and plants in Springfield on February 15th. They will all be bare root, and small—about two feet tall.

“Tree giveaways are another chance for us to reach people,” Erik says. “And it’s another way to diversify the species being planted.”

Recipients will have to plant the trees themselves, so our team is providing planting and care handouts so that recipients are equipped with the knowledge they need. Bare roots need to be kept moist and planted before they leaf out.

“We’re empowering people to go do it on their own,” says Eugene-Springfield Program Manager Taylor Glass. “ It’s their tree. They have that investment. I think a lot of these trees will be successful”

The yard tree giveaway will be on February 15th in Springfield. Details on our event calendar!