Sacramento Shade

Add clean air, cooler temperatures, and beauty to your home or business

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Get a free tree siting consultation and up to 10 free shade trees delivered to your home or business. All SMUD customers qualify - including homeowners, renters, and businesses. These are 5-gallon trees.

At this time, we anticipate delivery of your trees within 1 month of your appointment (potentially sooner), but we cannot schedule specific delivery dates.

How it works

  1. Check to see if you're eligible for the program - are you a SMUD customer? Do you have space on your property to plant trees in the ground? See the application below for more details.

  2. We will contact you to schedule an appointment. Assessment appointments are usually virtual, but some in-person appointments are available if your property qualifies.

  3. Meet with a forester to determine the best spots to plant trees and which species will grow well there, or share your request to skip the appointment. See the available trees below.

  4. Your trees will be delivered to your property with stakes, ties, and planting instructions.

  5. Once you receive your trees, it's time for you to plant them! You'll find our best tips in our planting video or in the pamphlet delivered with your tree.

  6. Check out our tree care resources for tips and videos to keep your trees healthy long after planting!

About the program
Tree Services Technician Chau Tran delivering free shade trees to a SMUD customer through the Sacramento Shade program
SMUD logo

This program is made possible by SMUD. Over 600,000 trees have been planted since our partnership began 30+ years ago!

Sign up for a siting appointment








Confirm eligibility

This program is only available to properties that receive electric service through the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). Click here to find out if your property is served by SMUD. If not, we recommend checking if there is an organization like ours that serves your community. In California, check with California ReLeaf; outside of California, check with the Alliance for Community Trees.



We are happy to talk to you about how to work with property owners to get permission for planting trees, however if you know that they are unwilling to allow trees to be planted on the property, we will not be able to give you trees. Please call us at (916) 924-8733 if you would like support.

If you have used the program within the last three years and you want to replace one or more of your trees that have died, please fill out our replacement application.

We cannot provide trees for planter strips in the City of Sacramento. If you need a tree for your planter strip, please call 311, email 311@cityofsacramento.org, or submit an online service request.



Contact information
Please provide the contact information of the person who will attend the tree siting appointment (does not have to be on the SMUD account).







Property where tree(s) will be planted








Unfortunately, this program is only available to properties in the SMUD service area, and this property does not qualify.

We recommend checking if there is an organization like ours that serves your community. In California, check with California ReLeaf; outside of California, check with the Alliance for Community Trees.
Second property where tree(s) will be planted








Unfortunately, this program is only available to properties in the SMUD service area, and this property does not qualify.

We recommend checking if there is an organization like ours that serves your community. In California, check with California ReLeaf; outside of California, check with the Alliance for Community Trees.
Your tree plans


Appointment information
Almost all of our tree consultations can be done virtually using a video call on Microsoft Teams (similar to Zoom), except some new construction areas that do not yet have any aerial or other imagery available. Virtual appointments do not require any special computer skills and can be booked much sooner with greater flexibility for you.

How does it work?
  • Our staff will view aerial imagery of your property and share it with you.
  • We measure distances from buildings, power lines, patios, pools, etc. to recommend locations for your trees.
  • Based on available space and your irrigation, we recommend trees that will fit in those locations and share photos of the trees with you. Once the list is narrowed down based on space and water needs, you get to select the trees.
  • You do not have to turn your camera on or be onsite during the appointment - you can take the appointment anywhere you can get internet service on any device. 
  • Larger screens such as computers or tablets are recommended, but phones work too.
  • We cannot provide advice for your existing trees or other types of landscaping. If you are seeking a tree health assessment or consultation for tree care recommendations, please hire an arborist instead. Visit sactree.org/hire for tips. 
Please confirm that Google satellite imagery is available for your property. Even if there have been changes to landscaping, new patios/pools, or removed trees, as long as we can see the footprint of any buildings and the outline of your property, we can complete the appointment virtually. 

Alternatively, we can use any drone photos or landscape plans that you provide, or other satellite imagery such as Bing Maps.

Copy and paste the Google Maps link below into a new browser tab to view your property:
In-person appointments are available on a limited basis only for customers who cannot complete a virtual appointment. They are only available on weekdays in a window between 9am to 2pm. We unfortunately cannot provide a more specific appointment time when our staff will arrive - you must be available on that day for the entire 9-2 window. If you select this option, our staff will call you within 7 days to schedule your in-person appointment if you are eligible. 

We cannot provide advice for your existing trees or other types of landscaping. If you are seeking a tree health assessment or consultation for tree care recommendations, please hire an arborist instead - visit sactree.org/hire for tips. 


Free trees available through this program

Availability may vary; updated daily

Quercus douglasii - blue oak acorn and leaves

Blue oak

Quercus douglasii

A gigantic centurian camphor tree sprawls over midtown Sacramento's former Java City, now Paesano's, in a small planter strip between the sidewalk and street. This aromatic evergreen was iconic in the City of Trees, but it was removed and its wood recycled after verticillium wilt killed it.

Camphor

Camphora officinarum

Chinese flame tree

Koelreuteria bipinnata

Chinese pistache

Pistacia chinensis ‘Keith Davey’

Zelkova serrata 'Musashino' - Columnar zelkova

Columnar zelkova

Zelkova serrata ‘Musashino’

A cork oak gracefully growing in a very dry urban planter strip

Cork oak

Quercus suber

A large white flower of a Little Gem magnolia opens all the way to reveal light yellow stamens in the center, with dark evergreen foliage providing a nice contrast

Dwarf Southern magnolia

Magnolia grandiflora

Fern pine leaves are lanceolate and evergreen. Although 'pine' is part of its common name, it is not actually a pine and does not have needles. New growth is bright and almost chartreuse, while older leaves are a darker green color.

Fern pine

Afrocarpus gracilior

Beautiful twisting branches and gray-green foliage adorn a multitrunked fruitless Wilson olive growing in a front yard

Fruitless olive

Olea europaea

Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold' fall color

Ginkgo

Ginkgo biloba ‘Autumn Gold’

Koelreuteria paniculata - Goldenrain tree flowers

Goldenrain tree

Koelreuteria paniculata

An incense cedar grows in front of a house; it is a tall evergreen conifer that somewhat resembles the shape of a redwood

Incense cedar

Calocedrus decurrens

An interior live oak growing near a roadside

Interior live oak

Quercus wislizeni

Japanese snowbell

Styrax japonicus

London plane

Platanus × acerifolia

Persian ironwood

Parrotia persica ‘Vanessa’

Pineapple guava

Feijoa sellowiana

Pomegranate

Punica granatum ‘Wonderful’

Red maple

Acer rubrum

Sawleaf zelkova

Zelkova serrata

Shantung maple

Acer truncatum

Two shiny xylosmas flank a walkway, providing evergreen interest and a touch of whimsy with their twisted trunks

Shiny xylosma

Xylosma congestum

Acacia stenophylla - Shoestring acacia

Shoestring acacia

Acacia stenophylla

Bright orange fall leaves of the Shumard oak

Shumard oak

Quercus shumardii

Strawberry tree

Arbutus ‘Marina’

Clusters of creamy yellow bay laurel flowers bloom along twigs at the base of dark green leaves commonly used in cooking

Sweet bay laurel

Laurus nobilis

A front yard trident maple invites visitors with intriguing bark patterns and leaves shaped like duck feet

Trident maple

Acer buergerianum

Brilliant red fall color and a tall pyramidal shape are a couple reasons people love the tupelo

Tupelo

Nyssa sylvatica

Quercus lobata - valley oak

Valley oak

Quercus lobata

Bright red berries on the Washington hawthorn stand out among chartreuse leaves, a favorite for birds

Washington hawthorn

Crataegus phaenopyrum

Elongated willow-like leaves and an upright form define the willow oak

Willow oak

Quercus phellos

Frequently asked questions