Take Part in the Marylanders Plant Trees Program

When Maryland celebrated earlier this month, Mayor Joshua J. Cohen helped plant a new Willow Oak at St. Mary's Parish. This spring, Annapolitans who follow the mayor's lead and purchase native trees can save some money while helping to do their part.

Marylanders Plant Trees is a state program designed to encourage homeowners across the state to plant 100,000 native trees. To help the initiative, Gov. Martin O'Malley recently announced a continuation of a program that provides $25 coupons toward native trees purchased from designated nurseries in the state. The coupons can be downloaded from the Marylanders Plant Trees program website. (The coupon is also attached as a to this article.)

We have included a list of participating nurseries in Anne Arundel County at the end of this story. Only specific native trees are eligible for the rebate, which consumers get at the register—the nurseries fill out the paperwork and get the refund. There are dozens of trees and shrubs on the list.

The typical tree on the list costs more than $50, according to Maggie Wiles of Lothian-based Greenstreet Gardens. She said that they are offering 7-gallon shade trees like maples, dogwoods, pines and oaks for $79. After the rebate, customers would pay $54 plus tax.

"That is a good size tree, which people can usually fit in their vehicle. It meets the requirement for the rebate," Wiles said.

The governor's office reported that last year under the program, 50,089 trees were planted by individual homeowners, meeting the governor's target of 50,000 trees planted statewide.

In addition, the governor's office said that nearly one million trees were planted on public lands by the "Forest Brigade," which uses inmate labor in partnership with the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the State Highway Administration and the Department of Natural Resources.

These are the nurseries in Anne Arundel County participating in the Marylanders Plant Trees program: