Arbor Day in El Paso

You won't want to miss the Arbor Day celebration beginning at 10 tomorrow morning, April 25th, at Veterans Park, 5301 Salem Street in Northeast El Paso. Here's the write-up in the weekly newsletter, Texas Gardeners' Seeds:

El Paso selected to host statewide Arbor Day celebration

Trees in El Paso? To the outsider, this may seem like a reasonable question. But El Paso natives have long known that the desert is home to a unique variety of trees — and they are ready to show the rest of the state they are "Tree Amigos."
El Paso has been selected as this year's host of the state's official 119th Arbor Day celebration on April 25. The day will begin with a ceremony at 10 a.m. at Veteran's Park. James Hull, state forester and director of the Texas Forest Service, will be Master of Ceremonies.
"Arbor Day is the day we set aside to celebrate the value of trees and the positive ways they contribute to our communities and environment," Hull said. "El Paso was selected as this year's host city to honor the tremendous advancements in its urban forestry programs in recent years."
During the celebration, El Paso will be recognized as a Tree City USA for the first time, a designation made by the National Arbor Day Foundation. In addition, the state winners of the 2006 and 2007 Arbor Day Poster Contests, reigning from the same El Paso elementary school, will be honored.
The West Texas Urban Forestry Council, located in El Paso, is "Bringing Back the Green" to the El Paso region by encouraging residents to plant trees, which specifically benefit desert environments by providing shade and helping conserve water. Individuals interested in planting trees in El Paso or in any location across the state can go online to the Texas Tree Planting Guide at http://texastreeplanting.tamu.edu/ to find the types of trees best suited for different areas of Texas.
"It's not just about beautifying yards and streets, but just as much about teaching people how to strategically use trees to improve air quality, reduce erosion and reduce energy consumption," said Oscar Mestas, El Paso's urban forester for the Texas Forest Service. Communities across Texas can recognize Arbor Day by celebrating the ways that trees enrich our lives and the environment. For information about ways to celebrate Arbor Day in your community, visit the Texas Forest Service web site at http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu.