Fairfax County residents can sign up to receive up to two free trees delivered to their doors. Vienna homeowners will likely need to wait about two weeks before they're eligible.

The county's Urban and Community Forestry Division relaunched the program Monday, Aug. 24, in partnership with the nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation. For the first two weeks, sign-ups are limited to residents in neighborhoods that rank "high" or "very high" on the federal Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), a tool originally established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify communities most in need of assistance.

Those priority areas include the Richmond Highway corridor, Bailey's Crossroads and Annandale. Vienna is not among the communities named as priority zones.

That means most Vienna-area residents can expect to sign up around Sept. 8, when the program opens countywide on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.

What you get

Each household can receive up to two trees, shipped directly to the home along with tree shelters and stakes. Residents choose from non-invasive, regionally native species suited to the local climate.

Recipients also get access to an online tool that identifies the best planting location on their property and estimates how each tree could affect home energy costs.

Act fast

Trees went fast in March. The county ran the same program in the spring, and available one-gallon trees were claimed within hours of sign-ups opening. No total supply figure has been announced for this round.

Residents outside the priority zones can submit a request now at get.arborday.org/fairfaxcountydirectship, but the county says they will be notified that distribution is initially reserved for high-vulnerability communities.

The Department of Public Works and Environmental Services said in a statement that the trees will help increase shade, reduce energy use and improve water quality in communities that often lack adequate tree cover.

Separate program for community groups

Fairfax County is also accepting applications for a separate tree distribution program aimed at community organizations. That program, which uses the D.C.-based nursery Casey Trees, has an application deadline of Oct. 30, with deliveries on Fridays through Nov. 20.

Vienna's Conservation and Sustainability Commission has long tracked tree canopy issues locally, including a 2022 Urban Tree Canopy Assessment that examined how development affects the town's green cover.

Upcoming

• Around Sept. 8: Free tree program opens to all Fairfax County residents, including Vienna, while supplies last. Sign up at get.arborday.org/fairfaxcountydirectship.
• Oct. 30: Application deadline for community organization tree distribution program.
• Through Nov. 20: Casey Trees delivers to community organizations on Fridays.