City Offers Living Christmas Tree Program

A Mondale Pine watches lovingly over the home of Linda Chew and Bobby Perel

Before you run to Lowe's to buy your Christmas tree, you may want to consider a living Christmas tree. City of El Paso Arborist, Brent Pearson, has announced that his team will deliver a live 6 to 8 foot Mondale pine to your home and pick it up after the holidays to be planted in the City. The cost is just $100. For $40, his team will plant the tree on your property.

El Paso is in dire need of reforestation. Over the last several decades too many trees have been lost. More is known now about the kinds of trees that are perfect for our desert environment. The Mondale pine is known for its rapid growth and drought tolerance. It averages 3 feet of growth per year.

29 years ago David and Mandy Chew purchased a living Mondale pine for a Christmas tree and then planted it in their yard on Savannah. In 1982 they moved to their new home up the street and sold their house to David's sister, Linda, and her husband, Bobby Perel. The tree is still there and is one of the loveliest and most venerable trees not just in the Newman Park neighborhood but the entire City of El Paso.

Trees create shade that reduces our staggering energy costs during our hot summers. They help clean the air and they manage pollutants in run-offs during storms. In fact, they help minimize flooding far better than the heat-radiating cement that has taken over our urban landscape. They absorb carbon dioxide, the global warming gas.

Here is Brent Pearson's living tree announcement:

Have your Christmas Tree planted at a neighborhood Park

For $100.00 a six to eight foot living Christmas Tree will be delivered to your house and picked up after the New Year to be donated to the City of El Paso, or you can keep it and plant it in your own yard. Make this holiday season an opportunity to leave a living legacy that will last for generations

*

Tips on

living Christmas trees

Ÿ Delivery and Pick-up included

Ÿ They will not dry out and drop needles

Ÿ LIVING TREES REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE

Ÿ Twinkle lights work best instead of screw in bulbs

Ÿ If you want it planted at on private property, $40.00 extra

Ÿ EASY to water JUST USE A TRAY OF ice cubes EVERY OTHER DAY

Ÿ

The Mondale Pine is a selection of tree known

for it’s rapid growth and drought

tolerance. Average rate of growth

is over 3 ft. per year.

This is a great opportunity for us to add much needed tree canopy to our City. Why buy a tree and throw it away, REUSE it and let it be enjoyed by others. Our goal is to have a healthy urban environment.

If interested please call :

Brent Pearson at 588-1562 or 533-2342

To find out more about the benefit of trees and to help re-forest El Paso, contact the West Texas Urban Forestry Council at 915-834-5610.