Gretna residents have the chance to go green this Saturday as the City of Gretna Tree Board hosts its annual Tree Giveaway at Gretna Middle School at 10 a.m.. During the giveaway, the board will distribute over 100 trees, aiming to promote and restore Gretna’s tree population and combat the loss of trees caused by recent urban developments and disease.

The event will begin with a presentation about the Tree Board’s mission to replenish the tree canopy of Gretna and improve the quality of life of citizens by planting trees. After the presentation, participants will use a drive-thru system to collect their trees, along with a bag of mulch, a tree protector and planting instructions.

In order to make sure the trees don’t cause any extra negative consequences to the environment, the Tree Board sources the trees from Great Plains Nursery in Weston, Neb., providing residents with species that are well-suited to Nebraska’s environment.

“The trees that we like to give out are from our nature, original seeds to Nebraska,” Tree Board member Angie Lauritsen said. “That way, they have a probability for success when it comes to planting within Nebraska.”

Gretna’s rapid increase in population is the main catalyst for the destruction of trees in the community. When new areas are built up, the landscapers and builders have to cut down all vegetation in order to create new restaurants and shops. This causes large areas to be devoid of trees and lessens the benefits trees provide to the city. In order to counteract this, the Tree Board helps to increase the tree canopy in these areas as well, partially through events like the Tree Giveaway.

“Because of so much growth within our community, a lot of these new developments that are being built up, they completely grayed out all these trees,” Lauritsen said. “So you have all these new developments that have a brand new baby tree. We want to make sure that continues to happen, but also to build on that. The developer might put in one tree, but let’s put in three or four more.”

In addition, trees throughout large metropolitan areas, such as Omaha, are facing more problems with diseases than they have in the past due to human activities in the environment. Treatment for these trees is very expensive, so to prevent the spread, cities often just cut down the sick trees.

“Throughout the city of Omaha, all of Nebraska, all the cities, are actually taking out all of their ash trees if they’re not being treated,” Lauritsen said. “That has removed a lot of canopy cover when it comes to trees, so we need to be constantly replanting, reestablishing and putting in new trees.”

By replenishing Gretna’s tree canopy, the board is not only beautifying the city but also ensuring a healthier and more stable environment for residents. Greenery makes neighborhoods more attractive while also providing shade, reducing energy costs, improving air quality and combating urban heat.

“We know that when people are looking to move to a community, they’re looking for those green spaces,” Lauritsen said. “They’re also looking for added benefits that trees bring to their communities, whether it’s shade or helping the environment with trees.”

Since the Tree Giveaway started more than 15 years ago, the Tree Board has supplied more than 1,000 trees back into Gretna, free of charge. For Lauritsen, each one represents an investment in the city’s future.

“We really feel that enhancing our tree canopy really provides a lot of benefit to our community,” Lauritsen said.