The
City of Las Cruces will be giving away 200 trees through the Arbor Day
Foundation’s Energy-Saving Trees program. The program helps residents conserve
energy and reduce utility costs while beautifying their neighborhoods.
The
Desert Willow trees will be distributed in five-gallon containers for easy
transport.
To qualify, for the giveaway, participants must reside inside City limits and reserve their tree early through the Arbor Day Foundation online tool at www.arborday.org/lascruces with a limit of two trees per address.
Registration
will remain open until all 200 trees are reserved.
“The
online tool walks customers through reserving a tree and guides them in
selecting the most strategic planting location for maximum impact, and
estimates annual energy savings,” said Sean Bolen, Energy Saving Tree program
coordinator.
Residents
can pick up their trees at the Energy Tree Savings Giveaway event from 8 a.m.
to noon Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019 at Lynn Middle School, 950 S. Walnut
St.
City
staff will provide planting and care instructions, as well as guidance on how
to maximize energy-savings utilizing the Arbor Day Foundation online tool.
Trees
play an essential role in cooling streets and homes, filtering air, and
reducing stormwater pollution. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, when
planted correctly, a single mature tree can save a homeowner as much as 20 percent
on energy costs.
Participants
are expected to care for and plant their tree in the location provided by the
online tool. Trees won't be held for future pickup, nor will they be available
for pickup before the event on Nov. 9, 2019.
To
ensure that these trees do not impact the safety and reliability of overhead
and underground energy systems, the City of Las Cruces encourages residents to
call 811 and have all underground utilities marked for free before any digging
project.
The
Energy-Saving Trees online tool was created by the Arbor Day Foundation and the
Davey Institute, a division of Davey Tree Expert Co., and uses peer-reviewed
scientific research from the USDA Forest Service’s i-Tree software to calculate
estimated benefits. In addition to providing approximate energy savings, the
tool also estimates the trees’ other benefits, including cleaner air, reduced
carbon dioxide emissions, and improved stormwater management.
For information, email Sean Bolen, Energy Savings Tree Coordinator, at sbolen@las-cruces.org, call 575/541-2425 or visit las-cruces.org/EnergySavingTrees.