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. Here is a statement from the City:
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 on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Lynn Middle School, located at 950 S. Walnut Street.
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 up to 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 November 9.
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 more information, please email Sean Bolen, Energy Savings Tree Coordinator, at sbolen@las-cruces.org, call (575) 541-2425 or visit las-cruces.org/EnergySavingTrees