Certified Arborist Program

Too often trees in El Paso are pruned improperly, neglected and allowed to suffer from disease, pestilence, lack of water and fertilization. Too often landscapers and yard workers have the tools but not the knowledge. So, it is great to see that the West Texas Urban Forestry Council and the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension have put together a training program that will prepare people for becoming certified arborists. You don't have to go out-of-town to get this training; you can get it right here in El Paso. All of the information is below. Elpasonaturally will keep on advertising this program throughout the summer. BTW, I know each of the speakers personally and can tell you that they are the best of the best. If your business in landscaping or yardwork, get this training. If you are planning to become a landscaper, make this training part of your business plan.

BTW become a member of WTUFC. Become one of the Los Tree Amigos.

Click to enlarge image.

Click to enlarge image.

WTUFC Contributes Apple Tree to Community Garden

On hand were Jim Tolbert, President of WTUFC, El Paso City Council Representative Emma Acosta, Brent Pearson , Oscar Mestas and members of the Cielo Vista Neighborhood Association

The West Texas Urban Forestry Council (Los Tree Amigos) and the Cielo Vista Neighborhood Association celebrated Texas Arbor Day today by planting a tree in the Community Garden of the Cielo Vista Neighborhood Association. Oscar Mestas, Texas A&M Urban Forester, and Brent Pearson, City of El Paso Arborist, demonstrated the correct way to plant a tree. 

City Arborist, Brent Pearson, finishes planting the apple tree.

On hand to help plant the tree were City Council Representative, Emma Acosta, WTUFC Board President, Jim Tolbert, and WTUFC Treasurer, Joanne Burt.

Jim Tolbert, Brent Pearson, Emma Acosta

Arbor Day was founded in 1872 in  Nebraska. By the 1920s, each state in the United States had passed public laws that stipulated a certain day to be Arbor Day. In Texas, Arbor Day is celebrated every year on the first Friday in November, the best time of year to plant trees in our climate. The customary observance of Arbor Day is to plant a tree. On the first Arbor Day, an estimated one million trees were planted.

Trees produce oxygen and clean the air. A mature leafy tree produces as much oxygen in a season as 10 people inhale in a year. Trees act as a giant filter that cleans the air we breathe. Trees absorb carbon dioxide which promote climate change.

It is the mission of Arbor Day to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.

The Friday Video: Texas Arbor Day 2015 [The proclamation is well worth listening to.]


For more information:

West Texas Urban Forestry Council (especially tree care page)

EPWU Desert Plant List

City of El Paso Tree Care Manual

Register by Tomorrow for Discounted Price for Sun Country Landscape Conference

Los Tree Amigos of the West Texas Urban Forestry Council are bringing you 3 great opportunities to learn about trees in your community.

2015 Sun Country Landscape Conference is near.

Thursday November 19,  All of the presentations on Thursday will be in Spanish.

Friday November 20, is the professional day, with presentations geared more for the Arborist, Urban Forester, Landscape Architect, Architect, Engineer, Planner, Landscape contractor and other Natural Resource Professionals.    ISA CEU’s  5 CA, 1 BCMA Sci, 4 BCMA Mgt, 1Utility, 1 Muni, & 1 TW Climber.

Saturday November 21, is the homeowner’s  turn to learn how to keep their homestead green and lush while conserving water and our desert resources.

Please save these dates and please pass this on to anyone whom you think would be interested.

Register at   www.wtufc.org

Click on images below to enlarge.

El Paso Can Learn from Sammamish Washington

Click on image to enlarge. Picture taken at a 7-11 on Zaragoza just north of 375

El Paso could learn a few things about protecting trees from Sammamish, Washington. A friend sent me a link to the Sammamish Review's online story: City now has strongest tree ordinance in state, mayor says. It did my heart good. I lived in Sammamish for a number of years. My kids graduated from high school there. 

Simply put, the fine for removing a protected tree is now $1,500 per inch of diameter and I can tell you that there are some pretty big trees up there. The ordinance encourages conservation development. On top of that, Sammamish plans to set a goal to increase their canopy to 50%. Can El Paso increase their canopy? Maybe not to 50%, but we could sure do more truly to be a Tree City USA. 

Along with protecting trees, there is a need in El Paso to treat trees correctly. There is a proper way to prune in order to keeps trees healthy and beautiful and to ensure their longevity. 

As you can see from the picture at the top taken in east El Paso at a Seven-Eleven, there are really bad ways to treat trees. That is why it is so important to get people to attend this year's Sun Country Landscape Conference sponsored by the West Texas Urban Forestry Council.

Rather than a one day event as in the past, there will be three days each day devoted to a different community: tree and landscape workers (workshop in Spanish), green industry professionals and homeowners. Here's the press release:

Sun Country Landscaping Conference
November 19, 20, 21, 2015

“One Community, One Canopy: Learning Together, Growing Together” is the theme of this year’s Sun Country Landscaping Conference. The conference targets three groups: tree and landscape workers, green industry professionals and homeowners. The three day conference will devote one day to each group:

Thursday, November 19, 2015, 7:30 am to 12:00 pm – A Spanish language workshop with field demonstrations designed for tree and landscape workers will cover tree selection, installation and establishment, pruning, and diagnosis and plant disorder. Workshop will be held at the El Paso Garden Center, 3105 Grant Avenue at Memorial Park. The fee for the program is $30 or $50 after November 6. Space is limited so participants should register as soon as possible by calling 915-834-5610 or 915-771-2354.

Friday, November 20, 2015, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm – A one-day conference for the green industry professional will focus on landscape design and plant diversification. It will be held at the El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center on the UTEP campus. The Conference fee is $75 or $100 after November 6. Registration is required at wtufc.org. 

Saturday, November 21, 2015, 8:30 am to 12:00 pm – Homeowners can learn the basic pruning needs for young trees and the tools that they should use in order to develop trees with a beautiful, appealing form. This half-day workshop will be held at the El Paso Garden Center, 3105 Grant Avenue at Memorial Park. The fee for the program is $15 or $20 after November 6. Registration is required as there is limited space. Go to wtufc.org or call 915-771-2354.

The Sun Country Landscaping Conference is sponsored by the West Texas Urban Forestry Council (Los Tree Amigos), a coalition of people who are interested in protecting and developing the urban community forest resources of West Texas and the El Paso Region. The Council strives to provide the most recent information and technological advances in tree care and maintenance.

Please help spread the word. Let's take care of our trees.

Trailblazers

Rep. Peter Svarzbein is the first City Council Representative to meet with the Borderland Mountain Bike Association.

The Borderland Mountain Bike Association (BMBA) met last night at the Angry Owl to discuss the creation of more facilites at trailheads. It was the first time that a member of City Council met with the group. Rep. Peter Svarzbein described BMBA as "efficient and responsible", a group that "gets things done." 

A full parking lot at the Lost Dog Trail. Trees in foreground were donated by the West Texas Urban Forestry Council.

BMBA was behind the creation of the very popular and beautiful amenities at the Lost Dog Trail. Now they want to repeat what they did there in parnership with the PSB and the City at other locales where hikers and mountain bikers begin their treks into the Franklin Mountains. By the way, BMBA has created and maintained many of the mountain trails.

Thirty people attended last evening's event including MPO Director, Michael Medina. Svarzbein gave a short talk in which he praised BMBA's efforts.

Dr. Rick Bonart, one of the chief architects of the Lost Dog Trail, described a public-private partnership with the City for trailheads as a "win win with the City of El Paso to get things done faster and cheaper." Bonart sees the community as the beneficiary. "Trailhead facilities will help with health and ecotourism goals," he explained. Recently Bonart had a good meeting with City Manager, Tommy Gonzalez, to discuss trailheads.

BMBA has identified several trailheads where they would like to create amenities with the Palisades and the old Bowen Round House on the east side as signature projects.

By far the greatest excitement at the meeting and the greatest encouragement for BMBA was Svarzbein's presence and leadership.


COMING SOON: Elpasopolitically

City Manager Raise Was Premature

It seems as if every El Paso blogger has had something to say about the City Manager's pay raise. I wanted to think through that issue before weighing in. Here goes:

I agree with David Karlsruher that the city manager's performance review and compensation does not belong in the public arena. Mr. Tommy Gonzalez is an employee and has a right to have such matters discussed in private by our elected Representatives. I further agree with David that, if we don't like Council members' decision, we can recall them or just not re-elect them. (Recalling a city council representative is just about numerically impossible unless, of course, you have a mega-church with an entranced audience.)

There's a "but" here as you might suspect. BUT what should be a matter of public discussion is what the Council finally decided to do. Because Mr. Gonzalez is unarguably the most important city employee, his salary increase by Council becomes a matter for public discussion and debate. I had already decided to vote against raising council salaries before they pulled the proposal from the city charter election. Higher salaries aren't what entice good people to run - big money in El Paso guarantees who gets elected. Just look at Niland, Noe and Romero. With Council's premature decision about Tommy's salary, they spent their salary increases. 

Why do I say that the salary increase is premature? I speak as an environmental activist as well as a taxpaying citizen.

First, Mr. Gonzalez's goals for the City (and they are his goals de facto and not those of Council and certainly not those of El Pasoans) have nothing to say about the environment, open space, conservation, ecosystems, etc. "Attractiveness" is not the same thing as controlling sprawl, being cognizant of the scarce resource of water, protecting the beauty of our mountains, desert and wetlands, and providing trailheads, parks, connectivity and open space for recreation.

Mr. Gonzalez's staff met with members of the West Texas Urban Forestry Council Board. Most of them were the authors of our city's Tree Care Manual, our approved tree list, and (when it was a reality) our Tree Board - a now defunct and forgotten "sub-committee" of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. In spite of the seeming enthusiasm of the City Manager's staff, nothing has been done other than shuffling the organizational chart and re-assigning the City Arborist, a good step for sure. The promised consultations, the resurrection of the Tree Board and following the Tree Manual have not come to fruition.

I understand that Mr. Gonzalez inherited some problems. On the other hand, he has had one year to make a difference on some projects. The destruction/reconstruction of the San Jacinto Plaza Park is a good example. While on this topic, let us recall that Tommy Gonzalez readily ordered taking down El Pasoan's treasured holiday Christmas tree until this blog started a public outcry. Niland didn't like the shape. She said "jump" to Tommy and he asked "how high". 

This jumping is another matter that concerns me because we've seen it in other cases. Gonzalez seems to be impulsive and this characteristic may be the biggest concern.

It has been argued that we would lose our City Manager if we didn't offer him a salary commensurate to other larger cities in Texas. Yes, but, those salaries go to full-time employees. Full time. When Council raised his salary, they also gave him more vacation time. He will not use that "vacation" time to take the kids to Hawaii; he will use that "vacation" time to do more paid consulting work. In other words, we have a part-time city manager who is also a part-time paid consultant. The City Manager should give up his consulting work and become the full-time City Manager of El Paso, Texas. Then let's talk about a commensurate salary.

Finally, I don't believe the financial numbers. I don't believe that the city is doing as well as Gonzalez claims. If so, instead of raising our onerous property taxes, why doesn't Council cut them? Hmmm?

Gonzalez may eventually deserve a higher salary. End the consulting, be less impulsive, be more transparent, listen to tree experts and don't just dictate planting larger trees in smaller spaces, and care about environmentalism - then and only then should he be up for the raise.

Council should be held accountable in the arena of public debate. I wouldn't not support a council person for election on the basis of one issue. However, when it comes to next budget time when they do seek public input, they each better listen carefully. I hope that they hear now that the raise was premature.

Holy Hot Concrete! Shade Trees Really Do Make a Difference

Our Texas Urban Forester, Oscar Mestas, just forwarded an email from San Antonio Master Naturalist, Lissa Martinez. She measured the heat of concrete underneath some live oaks and concrete exposed all day to the hot sun. Here are the pics:

"At 3 pm, I returned home and parked the car in the expansive shade of the live oaks.  Shade is also provided by the neighbors’ live oak tree."

"Driveway temp - 93°

"Exposed driveway surface in the sun, where no car has been parking since about 0845.  Driveway temp 144°"

"Holy hot concrete!  Demonstrating clearly why trees matter to all of us in this climate."

And that's just San Antonio. Try El Paso.

Go to http://www.wtufc.org/. Click on Tree Selection. In the box select Tree Shade Type. In the box after "Tree Shade Type", select Shade. When is the best time to plant a tree after late fall or early spring? NOW. 

"The mission of the West Texas Urban Forestry Council is to promote the preservation, health and expansion of community trees in the El Paso region. Together with the friends of WTUFC, 'Los Tree Amigos', we work to promote desert green—shade friendly and water smart." Go HERE to become a Los Tree Amigo and help West Texas Urban Forestry expand our community shade trees.

Please support elpasonaturally©. Go HERE to donate and help turn El Paso "green".

City Realignment Benefits Trees

If the Tree Care Manual and Tree Ordinance are now followed by the City of El Paso, practices that damage or destroy trees such as the one depicted here will stop.

Thanks to the dual efforts of West Texas Urban Forestry Council (WTUFC) and elpasonaturally, the City has moved the Arborist position from the Department of Transportation to Planning and Engineering. Aborist, Brent Pearson, will either this week or next begin answering to Fred Lopez and Jim Fisk. 

In an email Brent reported the positive outcomes of this realignment including the resurrection of the Tree Board with a seat for the WTUFC, planting smaller trees thus saving the City money and having a greater variety of trees from which to select, enforcement of the Tree Protection Ordinance and more grants for trees. Pearson pointed out that the office and barn used at the City Tree Farm were donated by the WTUFC. The City now wants to expand that farm and have it available to supply the Capital Improvement Projects.

No doubt elpasonaturally shining a light on the poor tree practices by the engineering department and an almost certain doom of El Paso's beloved holiday tree in the San Jacinto Plaza helped move the city toward this new policy. 

What also was a huge help was a meeting spearheaded by Vern Autry, a board member of WTUFC, with city officials. That recent meeting lasted several hours. During that time WTUFC board members were able to point out the existence of a tree ordinance, the need for a tree board, the use of the city's tree manual and better tree care practices. 

Urban Forester Oscar Mestas to Present at Tree Workshop

Click on image to enlarge.

The Texas Urban Forester for our region, Oscar Mestas, will be a presenter at a Tree Workshop sponsored by the Sustainability Office of the City of El Paso. The workshop is set for next Thursday, February 19, from 2 to 3 PM at the Memorial Park Library, 3200 Copper Avenue. (MAP) Oscar is also one of the founders and current Secretary of the West Texas Urban Forestry Council and a regular lecturer at Master Gardener educational events.

Other speakers include David Parra, Principal Landscape Architect at Greenway Studio, LLC, and Nicole Ferrini, Chief Resilience Officer at City of El Paso.

The event is free and open to the public.

Register NOW for Sun Country Landscaping Conference

Click image to enlarge.

County Extension Agent and West Texas Urban Forestry Council member,Denise Rodriguez, reminds us that: 

"Early registration [for the Sun Country Landscaping Conference] closes on October 31st. 

"John White will join me on the Good to Grow radio show on October 25th to promote the conference. Also, the Master Gardeners will have an educational booth at this weekend’s Home and Garden Show and will have printed programs on hand."

Denise has been the Chairwoman of this year's SCLC.

To see the conference program and print out a registration form, go HERE. You can also pre-register online HERE.

ALL persons are welcomed and will get valuable info and tips about trees (including fruit trees), rainwater management, turf and composting. Many sessions are in Spanish.

El Paso City's Management Must Value Trees More

Italian Stone Pine in memory of Margaret H. Tolbert planted at Newman Park and donated by the office of Rep. Susie Byrd as part
of the Memorial Tree program of El Paso.

My friend, Marshall Carter-Tripp (the former Director of UTEP's Centennial Museum) raised again the issue of the need for more trees in El Paso.  To make that happen we need a city management which really values trees and doesn't just use Tree City USA as public relations window dressing.

Plant Trees Now

Welcome to the first edition of The Tree Amigo©.  You are receiving this e-letter because of your current or past association with or interest in the West Texas Urban Forestry Council. If you do not wish to continue receiving this letter, please email me and say “Unsubscribe WTUFC”.  On the other hand, if you like the letter, please forward it to fellow professionals, friends, family and associates. Received duplicate emails? Please let me know.

Fall is the time to plant trees. WTUFC offers you good tree care advice including how to plant a tree and a tree selection guide based on landscaping and other considerations. The El Paso Water Utilities has a great plant list based on the need for water conservation.  You may also want to take a tour of the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens at the UTEP Centennial Museum.  Just a visit to their web page will give you much information about desert gardens and desert plants as you plan your fall gardening and landscaping.

Trees provide so many benefits to any urban environment. Read TreePeople’s Top 22 Benefits. Not just in spite of drought but because of drought and climate change, citizens and cities should be building their urban canopy. Trees add moisture to the atmosphere and reduce evaporation in the rest of the landscape. Trees help us adapt to a warming world. Not only do trees help conserve water, but newly planted trees only require 15 gallons or so of water each week. Strategies to keep and utilize rainwater where it falls (your yard, business location, city facility) are becoming better incorporated in landscaping and conservation and stormwater planning.  Take some simple steps or even bigger steps to harvest and manage rainwater.  Check out and surf Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s rainwater harvesting site.  Kudos to the City of Tucson for making rainwater harvesting a top priority.

Once planted trees play an important role in water conservation, stormwater management and urban cooling. By using rainwater harvesting techniques and employing low impact development strategies, planting more trees does not put an extra burden on cities dealing with drought and water scarcity.

So plant a tree . . . or trees. October is National Neighborwoods Month, a program created by  ACTrees, Alliance for Community Trees. Watch the U.S. Forest Service video about Neighborwoods Month. Associate Chief Mary Wagner talks about tree benefits as she encourages personal and community planting of trees.

Finally, this coming  Saturday, October 27^th, the Lost Dog Trail Head (also known as the Redd Road Trail Head) will be dedicated. (Map)  The Borderland Mountain Bike Association and benefactors have completed improving the trail head with gravel, parking spots and native Honey Mesquites donated by your West Texas Urban Forestry Council from a grant from the Koontz Fund of the Texas Society of Urban Foresters as part of Neighborwoods Month. WTUFC is expanding the urban canopy in the El Paso region.

The mission of the West Texas Urban Forestry Council is to promote the preservation, health and expansion of community trees in the El Paso region.

Together with the friends of WTUFC, "Los Tree Amigos", we work to promote desert green—shade friendly and water smart.

The Tree Amigo© is written and published by Jim Tolbert who takes sole responsibility for the content of the letter.

Many of you belong to groups or organizations whose members will want to read this letter. Please forward it to others. Anyone may subscribe or unsubscribe at any time by emailing me. Your email address will not be shared or sold.

Please visit and bookmark www.wtufc.org.

This is Volume 1 and Number 1 published on October 22, 2012

Hike the Lost Dog Trail into the Heart of the NW Master Plan

There are many great hikes and events this weekend and next.  Please check out Celebration of Our Mountains,  El Paso Hiking Group, GeoBetty, Guadalupe Mountains National Park Meetup Group,  Las Cruces & El Paso Adventurists, Peak Fitness Challenge,  High Desert Hikers and Las Cruces Hiking Meetup. For solid information about hiking bookmark  El Paso Ridgewalkers.

Click on image to enlarge.

I want to call to your attention one extraordinary event next Saturday, October 27^th, at the Lost Dog Trail Head (also known as the Redd Road Trail Head). (Map) The Borderland Mountain Bike Association and benefactors have completed improving the trail head with gravel, parking spots and native Honey Mesquites donated by the West Texas Urban Forestry Council from a grant from the Koontz Fund. Many of you know this trail head well. What you may not know is that it takes you into one of the very arroyos which many have fought to preserve in the Northwest Master Plan. Keeping that arroyo – that critical riparian corridor – natural is very important not just to environmentalists but to El Pasoans who love and take advantage of the recreational opportunities of our outdoors.  You can get a sense of the interconnectivity of these trails by viewing mountain bike maps and GeoBetty.com maps.

If one of the other great hikes next Saturday does not entice you, then plan to hike the Lost Dog Trail from 10 to Noon and then join the dedication ceremony of the trail head concluding with some good eats.

I also suggest that you plan to attend Coffee Time with Archaeologists this Saturday evening, October 20^th, from 7 to 9 p.m. in McKelligon Canyon.  This is a Franklin Mountains State Park/Celebration of Our Mountains event not to be missed. Ranger Adrianna Weickhardt says,

“We have a great panel of Archaeologists all from different organizations lined up for a Fun and Free event this Saturday night at McKelligon Canyon!  Check out the posting for the event if you haven't already.  It'll be from 7 to 9 p.m. with free coffee, cocoa and pastries.  Learn a little more about this important field of science, how it affects you, and come loaded with questions for the Q&A session of the program! We have plenty of room for more reservations,  We hope to see you there.  (If you don't want to sit on a metal chair, bring a nice comfy one with you as well as your jacket and blanket in case it gets a little chilly).”

Reservations are required so contact Adrianna Weickhardt at 915-566-6441 or Adrianna.Weickhardt@tpwd.state.tx.us or just RSVP at El Paso Hiking.

Know that Scenic Drive is closed every Sunday morning now through March from 7 to Noon.   This is a change in hours for this 4.1 mile hike from one side of the drive to the other and back. This walk takes in a dazzling panorama of El Paso and Juarez and a display of 500 million year old fossils! It’s a good recreational walk and can be done in an hour and a half.

If you are on Facebook, check out and like Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks.

Finally, multi-kudos for the Guru of Geology, Dr. Phil Goodell, Professor at UTEP since 1975. He and his lovely wife, Kathy, just donated $1million to the University for a new Center of Entrepreneurial Geosciences at UTEP.  The Executive Summary reads in part: “Exploration for natural resources, oil/gas and minerals, is a unique activity. Success means discovery.”  

Excelsior!

FloraFEST Speaker April 27 with Native Plant Sale April 28 and 29

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

18 April 2012

Museum Contact: John White, Curator

Email: jmwhite@utep.edu

Phone: 915-747-5335

Dr. David Anderson to Speak at Annual Native Plant Sale, FloraFEST

El Paso, Texas – Area gardeners are awaiting the chance to purchase plants for desert landscaping naturally.  FloraFEST, the annual plant sale, features hundreds of plants native to the Chihuahuan Desert or plants that are desert adapted.  Proceeds from the annual sale support the operation of the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens.  This botanic collection, displaying some 700 different species and horticultural cultivars, is dedicated to the flora of the Chihuahuan Desert region.  The collection represents the largest public assemblage of Chihuahuan desert plants in the world.

Guest speaker, Dr. David Anderson will be featured at this year’s FloraFEST Lecture Series.  David Lee Anderson is Land Manager and botanist at White Sands Missile Range since 1990.  He completed his PhD in Range Ecology in 1989 at New Mexico State University.  Prior to that, he worked in Argentina as national coordinator of range research for 20 years. He worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho, Utah and New Mexico on and off between 1956 and 1963.

Dr. Anderson will speak on Friday, April 27, 2012 at 7 pm in Room 116 of the Undergraduate Learning Center on the University of Texas at El Paso campus.  A reception will follow at the Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens located at the corner of University Ave. and Wiggins Rd. on the UTEP campus.  The El Paso Native Plant Society, The West Texas Urban Forestry Council, and the Centennial Museum sponsor this event.

Regular museum hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4:30 pm. For more information, contact the Centennial Museum at 915-747-5565 or www.museum.utep.edu.

###

UTEP Campus Map

Winter Tree Tips from WTUFC Dec. 15

Map to library.

For more information about purchasing living Christmas trees, go here.

Save This Date: Green Is the New Gold

Double click to enlarge.

For more information and to register for the Conference, please visit www.wtufc.org.

Water Your Trees Right Now!

An email message from three tree organizations had this subject line: "Epic Texas Drought - Water Trees Now!" It was sent to their members and said:

"Most of Texas is at the highest level of drought intensity and this is weakening and killing many landscape trees.

"We urge you to send a message/press release out to your customers, citizens, members and clients asking them to water their trees right now."

It was signed by Dr. Todd Watson, President of the Texas Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, Tom Boguus, State Forester and Director with the Texas Forest Service and Gary Woods, the President of the Texas Urban Forestry Council.

As a matter of fact, Oscar Mestas, the Texas Urban Forester for our region, came by this morning and looked at a number of trees in our neighborhood. Some had feared that bugs or disease was killing them. The real cause: lack of water. Water needs to soak slowly into the ground and soak for a long time.

The Texas Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture offers great tips including watering during a severe drought. Also check out the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Save the Date for the Sun Country Landscape Conference

Click on image to enlarge.

The West Texas Urban Forestry Council has announced that this year's Sun Country Landscape Conference will be held on October 20th. For more information and to register online, please go here.

Help for Your Yard Plants from El Paso Experts

Click on image to enlarge.

In this hot, dusty, dry environment, why are we destroying our shade trees

Topping trees is just plain wrong. There is a right way to prune trees and there are wrong ways. Topping is the worst. Yet, in spite of City of El Paso ordinances, contractors (and I suspect City workers) routinely top trees. Take a look at these poor trees at Fox Plaza:




Look at this stump along Mesa Street by the Carl's Junior near UTEP


There are national standards for pruning trees. A good online source for how to properly prune trees can be found at the West Texas Urban Forestry Council web page on pruning.

The City of El Paso has strict ordinances about the care of trees in parking lots and vehicular use areas. To my knowledge, the ordinance has never been enforced. Here is the applicable code with my emphases:

Chapter 18.46 LANDSCAPE
18.46.090 Required plants.
3. Parking Lots and Vehicular Use Areas.
a. Shading shall be required for parking lots and vehicular use areas that are located within the project, with more than fifteen parking spaces or an area greater than two thousand seven hundred square feet shall be provided with at least one parking lot tree for every fifteen parking spaces or two thousand seven hundred square feet of vehicular use area or portion thereof.

18.46.130 Maintenance standards.
A. Landscaping and irrigation shall be regularly and properly maintained to ensure healthy and vigorous plant material. The property owner is responsible for regular weeding, mowing of grass, irrigating, fertilizing, pest prevention, pruning, and other maintenance of all plantings as needed. Trees may not be trimmed beyond national nursery standards for any reason.

18.46.160 Enforcement.
A. Revocation of Permit. Permits may be revoked in accordance with the provisions in Section 18.02.102 of this code.
B. Citations. The director shall be authorized to issue citations for violations of this chapter, which shall be prosecuted in municipal court.(Ord. 16985 § 51, 2008: Ord. 16654 § 1 (part), 2007)

"Director" means the director of the development services department or his designee.

18.46.180 Violations--Penalty.
A. Civil and Criminal Penalties. The city shall have the power to administer and enforce the provisions of this chapter as may be required by governing law. Any person, firm, corporation or agent who shall violate a provision of this code, or fails to comply therewith, or with any of the requirements thereof, or who shall has erected, constructed, altered, installed, demolished or moved any landscaping or irrigation system, or has erected, constructed, altered, repaired, moved or demolished any landscaping or irrigation system, in violation of a detailed statement or drawing submitted and permitted under this chapter, is subject to suit for injunctive relief as
well as prosecution for criminal violations. Any violation of the ordinance codified in this chapter is declared to be a nuisance.

Title 9 HEALTH AND SAFETY
Chapter 9.11 TREE CARE
D. Definitions. The following definitions apply under this chapter:

2. "Damage" means and includes, but not be limited to, the uprooting of a tree, severance of the root or branch system, the compaction of soil around a tree, a substantial change in the natural grade above a root system or around a trunk, or excessive pruning of living tissue.

3. "Public property" means all grounds owned and controlled by the city of El Paso and where the city has the responsibility of maintenance.

4. "Public tree" means any tree with at least two-thirds of its trunk on public
property.

5. "Topping" means the severe reduction of the tree's size using heading cuts that shorten limbs or branches back to a predetermined crown size or limit with the result of reducing the natural canopy or disfigure the tree.
F. Trees Located on Public Property.
1. Destruction or Damage of Trees Prohibited. It is unlawful for any person to intentionally damage, cut, carve, abuse, poison or otherwise harm or injure any tree located on public property. This section does not apply to persons authorized by the city who are taking actions necessary for the preservation and safety of the public or the proper care or maintenance of any tree in accordance with the Arboricultural Specifications Manual. The city of El Paso and its authorized agents, employees, and contractors shall have the authority to trim or remove any trees within public
property.

2. Maintenance of Trees.

c. Tree Topping. No tree located on public property shall be topped. Trees severely damaged by storms or other causes, or certain trees under utility wires or other obstructions where other pruning practices are impractical may be crown reduced where necessary to protect the public health, safety and welfare.

e. Jurisdiction
Over Public Property. The directors of the street department and Parks
Department or his or her designee shall have the power to perform accepted tree care in accordance with the Arboricultural Specifications Manual. If any tree or any part thereof is in unsafe condition, or is injurious to the common good, or to the sewer pipes, pavements or improvements, or is infested by disease or insects which are dangerous to other trees, the city arborist may remove such trees or part thereof, or spray such tree, or order such tree, or part thereof removed.
H. Any person who shall cause, create, keep, or otherwise permit a nuisance declared under this chapter or any person who intentionally damages, cuts, carves, abuses poisons or otherwise harms or injures any tree located on public property shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined as provided in Sections 1.08.010, 1.08.020 and 1.08.030. Each day that such nuisance shall continue shall constitute a separate offense; provided, the imposition of a penalty hereunder shall not abrogate the right of the city to cause the abatement of any nuisance.

The sample tree butcheries in Fox Plaza and along Mesa beg some questions:

1) What contractor(s) were responsible? (People who top trees and who do not know correct pruning standards or who don't refuse to prune incorrectly cannot be called "arborists".)

2) If an "arborist" did do this why are they going against industry standards?

3) If not an "arborist" who did this? Do they consider or call themselves a professional?

4) If they are professionals and they are knowledgeable of industry standards why do they not educate the tree owner on the correct and healthy method of pruning?

5) Shouldn't the city landscape ordianance apply in the parking lot situations? Certainly it should be a concern when it comes to stormwater management.

6) The Public Tree ordinance should apply to the trees along Mesa as they are planted in a public right of way. So why has the city not fined the owner or person who topped the trees near Carl's Jr ? Or did City workers destroy these trees?

7) How can a City that says that it is environmentally-friendly allow the destruction of trees like this?

8) Where is the public outcry?

In this hot dry dusty environment, we cannot afford to destroy our shade. Why put the money, time and effort into growing a tree for several years just to destroy it in a few minutes?