El Paso: A Tree City USA

Today at the Texas State's official 119th Arbor Day celebration, El Paso was designated a Tree City USA. This is a huge victory for our City of El Paso Tree Board now led by my dear friend, Eileen Parr Karlsruher. It's also a big win for our Urban Forester, Oscar Mestas as well as Ray Bader and Wynn Anderson.

There were many dignitaries there but I most enjoyed hearing from the President of the West Texas Urban Forestry Council, Jennifer Barr Ardovino and the Executive Director of Keep El Paso Beautiful, Katherine Gunter Palafox. Palafox spoke boldly about banning all those plastic bags that smother ocotillo, prickly pear and just about everything else.

A major goal of the WTUFC and the Tree Board is to restore the canopy of El Paso with native trees. There are several good places online for you to learn about native trees and other native plants for your yard. There's the Tree and Plant List of the City of El Paso. WTUFC offers a tree selection guide. The Texas Forest System has both a custom and an express guide. Finally, the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens offers a list of Chihuahuan Desert Plants.

Let's plant trees. Let's restore our canopy. There are other ways to reduce water consumption through good xeriscaping rather than "zero"-scaping our yards with concrete that absorbs heat during the day and releases it at night - making for some pretty hot summers 24/7. Cut Energy Consumption: Plant a Tree!