ICT Trees Inc., a non-profit organization formed last year to address the problem of a diminished tree canopy in the city, will be giving away trees to homeowners in north Wichita on Saturday, April 6.
Homeowners in Zip Codes 67214 and 67208 can go online to www.arborday.org/icttrees to order a tree, which can then be picked up on Saturday, April 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Murdock Park, 1808 E. Murdock.
There will be a demonstration on how to plant a tree in the park at 10:30 a.m. on April 6. Homeowners are reminded to call 811 to get underground utility lines marked to avoid accidental damage when digging to plant trees.
Over the last several decades, cities, including Wichita, have seen far more trees removed than planted from both city-owned and private land.
Kansas’s hot, dry summers are hard on trees, and high winds and ice storms cause tree branches to be broken off and trees uprooted or damaged. In many lower socioeconomic areas, replacing those lost trees is not affordable.
The result has been the loss of tree canopy over many densely populated or commercial areas, which often have far more concrete and asphalt than vegetation – and the fallout is “heat islands” or areas of the city that heat up more than the surrounding areas during summer days and retain more heat overnight which leads to poorer health outcomes for residents.
ICT Trees has more than 40 volunteers to maintain, expand, and promote a healthy tree canopy for Wichita’s heat islands.
Community partners with ICT Trees Inc. include Evergy, Forestry
Division of Park and Rec; 316 United, Arbor Day Foundation, and Beta Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Keppa Alpha, Inc.
