Trees Keep Our City Clean, Beautiful and Healthy!

To help increase the Tree Canopy in our urban area, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) offer “Treebates” to offset part of the cost of planting a new low or medium water usage tree. The “Treebate ‘can also be used to help cover the costs of tree maintenance. As our communities grow, we see the increase in streets, roof tops, and parking lots, etc. All these hard, paved surfaces cause “the heat island effect” warming our cities by as much as 10 degrees. Trees are a great natural tool to help mitigate the heat island effect, and keep our cities clean, beautiful, and healthy! Choose from our list of 20 beautiful trees to increase your tree canopy! Visit www.505Outside for details.

Unauthorized Tree Trimming

Someone has been trimming trees, primarily along Sierrita, and leaving the cut limbs on the sidewalk and in the street.  Limbs are a tripping hazard.  John Currier, Landscape Committee Chair, cleaned up some and asked Yellowstone if they would pick up the rest while they are out.  

This unauthorized tree trimming needs to be stopped to prevent further damage.  Leaving the cut limbs creates a tripping hazard and cutting some infected trees (Fire Blight bacteria and Ash dieback) then cutting uninfected trees will spread the diseases to the uninfected trees.  Appears that most of the trees that have been trimmed were from homeowners’ yards that were growing over the wall and encroaching on the sidewalks.  John Currier originally used to trim back these trees; but with the diseases currently present, he stopped trimming homeowner’s trees for fear of infecting healthy trees after trimming them. 

Please contact Jack Corder at Corder & Company (associations@corderandcompany.com, 505-896-7700) to report any trees that need to be trimmed. 

Tree Planting Season is Here!

Did you know that winter is the start of tree planting season Trees offer many sustainable benefits such as improved air quality, cooling our city and saving water by slowing down evaporation. If you’re interested in planting a tree and aren’t sure how to get started, visit: www.letsplant.org to find out about climate-appropriate trees you can plant here in Albuquerque!

Water Utility Authority Reminds Residents to Ramp Down Watering

Landscape water needs begin to drop by mid-August, which is when the irrigation schedule needs to be ramped down. This may seem counter-intuitive because of how hot it is in Albuquerque during August, September and October, but when plants are preparing for the winter, they need less water. For autumn watering recommendations, visit: www.505outside.com.

505Outside, the Water Authority’s monthly landscaping newsletter

When warm weather hits, plants need more more water. You can’t help that, but you can maximize efficiency by making sure your irrigation system is working to its potential. We recommend replacing old-fashioned sprinkler heads with Water Sense-approved, pressure-reducing spray heads and high- efficiency rotating nozzles. Rebates are available to help you make the change: https://www.505outside.com/residential-irrigation-efficiency-rebates/ In this month’s edition, in addition to our Plant of the Month and some tips on planting prickly pear, we highlight three of the ten winners of our Albuquerque Desert Friendly Landscape contest. People across the city are making the change to conserve water while cultivating their ideal landscapes. We hope you become inspired to join them!