Iowa City continues tree planting effort with sixth year of voucher program

Iowa City is bringing back its tree voucher program for a sixth year.

Applications for the city’s “Root for Trees” program opened Aug. 1 and will run through May 1, 2026.

Since the program launched six years ago, Daniel Bissell, the climate action & outreach analyst for Iowa City, said it has been popular with the city’s residents.

“Over the summer, when (the program) takes a break, we always get inquiries asking when it is coming back,” Bissell said. “People are just very excited to be able to plant a tree in their yard.”

Bissell said the program initially stemmed from Iowa City’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan goals to increase the city’s tree canopy.

Bissell said that a more robust tree canopy not only helps capture and sequester carbon, but also helps reduce the impacts of urban heat by providing shade.

Because there is more privately-owned land than public land in the city, Bissell said the voucher program was created to encourage property owners to plant trees to boost the city’s tree canopy.

In the first five years of the program, Iowa City residents have purchased more than 1,600 trees — about 320 per year.

Bissell said Iowa City doesn’t have a specific number of trees it aims to sell each year, but the program is open until funding runs out.

What the program entails

Iowa City residents can apply for the program through the city’s website. A standard voucher provides a 50 percent discount on the cost of a tree, up to $125.

The discount can increase depending on a household’s income.

Some households are eligible for a voucher up to 90 percent off the cost of a tree, or up to $225.

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“This allows residents to help increase our tree canopy and diversify our tree canopy, especially after the derecho in 2020 where we lost so many trees,” Bissell said, adding that the loss of trees due to the derecho increased the intensity of urban heat in the city.

Iowa City residents, homeowners, landlords, businesses or homeowner associations are eligible to apply for vouchers.

“And folks who believe they are income qualified can indicate that on that application,” Bissell said. “We have them verify their income, and then they can get that additional discount.”

Bissell said the funding for the program comes from the city’s general fund.

The tree vouchers can be used at Iowa City Landscaping & Garden Center on Highway 1, or at Earl May Garden Center on Lower Muscatine Road.

To help residents get their trees in the ground, Bissell said the city produced a YouTube video that demonstrates the steps of planting a tree.

A list of eligible trees can be found on the city’s website. The program does not provide vouchers for maple or pear trees.

“Since its inception, we have added a requirement for a minimum mature tree height of eight feet this year, because we've had some folks try to use the vouchers for shrubs,” Bissell said.

If residents want to plant a tree in the city right of way, they must obtain a permit.

Before planting any tree, residents must call 811 to have their utilities marked so they can “make sure they are digging in a safe area.”

“We don't want anyone hitting utility lines and getting them injured or disrupting utility service,” he said.

Olivia Cohen covers energy and environment for The Gazette and is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. She is also a contributing writer for the Ag and Water Desk, an independent journalism collaborative focusing on the Mississippi River Basin.

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Comments: olivia.cohen@thegazette.com