🌳 Branch Out, Hatters! Free Trees Up for Grabs Starting 10 AMToday
MEDICINE HAT, AB – For those who felt a deep, spiritual connection to Arbor Day but missed the memo, your second chance has arrived with soil still attached. The City of Medicine Hat’s Parks and Recreation department is officially kicking off its grant-funded public tree pickup today, May 21, starting at 10 a.m. (sharp—not noon, as some sleepy saplings previously reported).
That’s right: you heard a correction before the first shovel even broke ground. The event, originally rumored to start at lunchtime, will now begin bright and early at 10 a.m. at the Medicine Hat Stampede and Exhibition grounds, west of Higdon Hall.
The giveaway is part of a successful grant application for the Growing Canada’s Community Canopies (GCCC) Program. While the City is busy planting 800 trees on public property, a whopping 1,400 trees are looking for a loving, fenced-in home on your private property. Students from local school divisions got first dibs, but now it’s the public’s turn.
“This initiative is about more than planting trees—it’s about investing in the future of our community,” said Orlando Whetter, Manager of Parks.
📦 The Specs
Each tree comes in a five-gallon container pot with a stem between five and six feet tall (roughly the height of a very proud second-grader). The City recommends a truck or securely covered trailer for transport, though determined Hatters with large SUVs have succeeded.
Heights and widths are mature estimates. Your actual results may vary with water, soil, and whether a curious dog mistakes the sapling for a chew toy.
📅 Pickup Details (Corrected Time)
What: Free grant-funded trees (one per person, more per household)
When: Thursday, May 21 (10 AM – 5 PM) , Friday May 22 (1–5 PM), Saturday May 23 (10 AM – 2 PM)
Where: Medicine Hat Stampede & Exhibition grounds, west of Higdon Hall
Limit: One tree per person (bring the whole family for a small backyard forest)
Registration: A simple form on-site (pinky promise you’ll actually plant it)
So clear out the backseat and head to the Stampede grounds. Future generations of shade-sitting Hatters will thank you—and so will the birds.
For more info: parks@medicinehat.ca or 403-529-8333
Happy planting, and may your Brandon Elm outlive your fence. 🌱
