The City of Burlington, Ontario, saw its annual Earth Week Tree and Shrub Giveaway fill to capacity within just one day of registration opening on March 23, 2026. This program allows residents to pick up free native plants to improve their yards and help reach local environmental goals.
Those who secured a reservation will pick up their plants on April 21 or April 22, 2026, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The pick-up location is the Roads, Parks and Forestry Operation Centre parking lot at 831 Cumberland Avenue.
The first day of the event features seven tree species like white pine and tulip tree in three-gallon pots. The second day includes a variety of native plants, featuring an Eastern redbud tree and seven shrub species such as ninebark and highbush cranberry. Shrubs are provided in two-gallon pots, while trees are in three-gallon pots.
Each property is limited to one plant, and all trees or shrubs must be planted on private land. This initiative supports a long-term plan to increase the local tree canopy to 35 per cent by 2060.
Burlington has been recognized as a Tree City of the World by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for three years in a row. In 2025, the community set a record by giving away and planting 1,000 trees in a single week.
