PPL Electric Utilities’ popular Community Roots tree program will open for orders for 2021 on Earth Day, April 22.

The goal of this program is to give trees to county and municipal parks, environmentally-focused groups, and schools. In schools, Community Roots will be available to fourth graders, provided the school they attend is in our service area and successfully applies for trees.

Trees are available in three types – bare-root seedlings, container seedlings, and gallon container seedlings – and are given away on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested groups or schools can order trees online at pplcommunityroots.com or pplelectric.com/environment

“We encourage interested groups to order early because our annual allotment is typically gone within weeks,” said Lori Burkert, PPL’s manager of environmental compliance. “Trees provide many environmental and energy-efficiency benefits, and it’s a great way to give back to the people and communities we serve.”

Including orders that will be delivered this spring and fall, Community Roots has distributed more than 80,000 free trees since it launched in fall 2017.

PPL removes and trims trees along power lines to help keep reliability strong. Community Roots provides the benefits of trees without affecting grid performance. Those requesting trees are reminded to always plant the right tree in the right place, so it doesn’t interfere with overhead or underground utilities when it matures.