Santa Barbara Clean Energy offers Free Trees to Local Residents to Combat Climate Change

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — It’s a simple process that reaps huge benefits over time.

“Trees intake, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen. So the more trees that we have at, the more carbon is getting sequestered. And basically what that means is carbon is getting taken out of the atmosphere and just like stored in the tree, which is awesome,” said Energy and Climate Specialist Stephanie Holmes.

An energy and climate specialist with the City of Santa Barbara says they plan to be carbon neutral by 2035.
 
To reach that goal, a new program offers 5 different types of trees for property owners, free of charge.
 
Residents can reserve them and place them on their property.
  
“The Toyon and the Western Elderberry, and those are going to be on the smaller side. We just have the California Bay Laurel, which is going to be a slightly bigger and quite tall. make sure that wherever you're planting it, it's not going to be obstructed when it grows. So like, think about power lines,” said Holmes.

“And the sustainability department says that planting just one of these Coast live oaks will sequester up to 13 tons of carbon over the course of 50 years.”
 
“Taking carbon out of the atmosphere and turning into wood and trees like that is important, but so is changes that you could be making every day and changes that we as a city are trying to implement, like switching to 100% clean energy through Santa Barbara, clean energy like swapping out your gas water heater for a heat pump, water heater and using your car lessons switching to an EV,” Energy and Climate Specialist
 
The trees also beautify the neighborhoods and provide vital benefits including erosion control, habitat for wildlife, and shade during the hotter months of the year.
 
More than half of the 55 trees have already been reserved.
 
For information on how to apply, visit www.santabarbaraca.gov