PORT ST. LUCIE — The City of Port St. Lucie will be giving away an assortment of Florida-friendly trees May 2.

Fitting, as the City recently received the Tree City USA Award for the 21st consecutive year.

Tree City USA is an annual national recognition program designed to raise awareness of the value of community trees, set foundational standards for communities of all sizes, and celebrate community improvement.

The annual award is a partnership between the Arbor Day Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. It recognizes cities committed to ensuring that urban forests and trees are properly maintained, sustainably managed and celebrated.

The City also received the Tree City USA Growth Award for the 20th straight year, which recognizes cities nationwide for effective urban forest management that enhances the livability and sustainability of their local area.

For the fourth consecutive year, Port St. Lucie earned international designation as one of only 210 Tree Cities of the World. Only eight cities in Florida received international designation, which includes cities from 24 countries across six continents.

The City has planted more than 75,000 trees as part of the Port St. Lucie Tree Challenge and distributed approximately 15,400 trees since 2004 through the Keep Port St. Lucie Beautiful Tree Giveaway program.

Keep Port St. Lucie Beautiful will give away 700 trees on May 2. City staff will be onsite to load the trees into your vehicle. An assortment of avocado trees, sugar apple trees, and a limited amount of Dahoon holly will be distributed at the drive-thru event.

IF YOU GO

• What: Keep Port St. Lucie Beautiful drive-thru tree giveaway

• Necessities: Proof of city residency; a vehicle, as this is a drive-thru event only

• When: 8 a.m. – 10 a.m., May 2 (Or until supplies last. First-come, first-served)

• Where: Clover Park, 31 Piazza Drive, Port St. Lucie. 