Why is My Tree, Our Tree using a lottery system?

All Cary residents deserve an equal opportunity to receive a tree! Our lottery system ensures that all participants have an equal chance of receiving a tree, regardless of their internet connectivity, availability, or the speed at which they can register. This prevents the registration process from favoring those who can quickly access and complete the sign-up form. 

How does the lottery process work?

You will need to complete the lottery registration form (available on the My Tree, Our Tree webpage) any time between Wednesday, August 14 at 10 a.m. and Wednesday, September 11 at 5 p.m.

You will need to provide the following information on the form:

• Name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Ranking of your preferences for up to five tree species
• Address where you intend to plant the tree (must be within Cary limits)
• How many years you’ve lived at this address (if it’s your home address)

After the lottery registration period closes, we’ll run a computer program that will put all the submitted registration forms into a random order and then process them one at a time. When your registration form is processed by the computer program, your ranking of preferred tree species is used to ensure that you receive your highest-ranked tree that still has availability. If none of your ranked trees are available at the time your registration form is processed, then unfortunately we will not be able to provide you a tree this fall.

We plan to email the lottery results on Monday, September 23 to everyone who submitted the registration form. If you "win" a tree, we'll provide instructions in the email for how to pick up the tree on Saturday, October 5.

How random is the lottery process?

The lottery process is completely random. As long as you submit the registration form by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, you'll have the same chance as others to receive a tree. No matter what order the registration forms are submitted, every participant has an equal chance of being “first in line,” “second in line,” and so on, to have their registration form processed. 

Support

If you encounter any issues during the lottery registration process, don't hesitate to reach out to us at 311 in Cary or (919) 469-4000 outside Town limits.