Volunteers from the Heartland Tree Alliance Planting a Tree. Photo courtesy of Bridging the Gap’s Facebook page. 

Ryan Millan-Pulley
Editorial Intern

Bridging The Gap, a non-profit organization focused on delivering “environmental solutions in Kansas City through education, volunteerism, and the stewardship of natural resources,” 

 is offering free trees for Kansas City, MO residents. 

Depending on what their property allows, residents can have trees planted in their front yard, side yard or by the street. Bridging The Gap covers all of the planting costs and processes, but asks that residents water their trees once a week for two years. 

This Free Trees program is managed through Bridging the Gap’s Heartland Tree Alliance, a team focused on planting, caring for, and expanding Kansas City’s urban tree canopy. 

Cathy Justice, Program Manager within the Heartland Tree Alliance, said the program is built on both public funding and community participation.

“When we’re planning to plant in a neighborhood, we go out and we talk to the residents, we go to the community meetings, the neighborhood meetings, or we find somebody within the community that might know the rest of their neighbors,” Justice said. 

One version of the program operates in partnership with the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department. Funded through the department’s Forestry division, this effort focuses on planting trees in the public right-of-way, typically the strip of land between the sidewalk and the curb.

“We try to get engagement from the community and from the residents,” Justice said. “We are usually looking in areas where people are willing to help us water the trees for the first two years.”

Letting residents care for the trees has proven effective. Many of them become invested in their success, keeping an eye out for problems and contacting the organization if something goes wrong.

“Having those extra eyes around the city all the time really helps us to catch any problems right away,” said Justice.

Most tree varieties are sourced through regional suppliers such as SiteOne Landscape Supply, and are planted according to city regulations that determine placement and spacing.

Not every property qualifies. Restrictions include narrow sidewalks, limited space between existing trees, or locations too close to intersections where visibility could be impaired. In general, a planting strip must be wide enough, typically at least five feet, to support a healthy tree.

Despite these limitations, demand has been strong. “We have really good engagement,” Justice said. “Most of the time, people that are reaching out to us already like trees, so it’s an easy sell.”

In addition to the Parks and Recreation partnership, Bridging the Gap also participates in a separate free tree initiative funded through the Inflation Reduction Act.

This funding is targeted toward specific areas identified through census data, including neighborhoods facing lower incomes, higher asthma rates, and other negative health outcomes. In these areas, the program expands its reach beyond public right-of-way spaces to include private property, such as residents’ front and side yards.

However, these neighborhoods can present unique challenges.

“It’s harder to get by in those areas,” Justice said. “People don’t necessarily have the time to help take care of the trees, or they’ve got other things that they’re concerned about.”

Infrastructure can also limit planting opportunities, as some neighborhoods lack adequate space.

Despite those hurdles, the program continues to prioritize these areas, where increased tree canopy can have the greatest environmental and public health impact.

The timeline between submitting an application and getting a tree planted can vary depending on a variety of factors.

Trees on private property are typically planted during the next available planting season. During the spring, that ranges from March through May, and September through November in the fall.

For right-of-way plantings, timing depends on how quickly enough residents in a neighborhood commit to caring for the trees. In highly engaged areas, lots of plantings can happen in a single season. 

If residents are interested in having their locations assessed for the Free Trees program, they can submit applications through the links below. 

Kansas City, Missouri Street Tree Form – Bridging The Gap

Kansas City, Missouri Residential Tree Form

Merriam, Kansas Residential Tree Form – Bridging The Gap

If residents would like to volunteer with Heartland Tree Alliance, they can sign up with the link below.

HTA Tree Planting Volunteer Signup