In Texas, the official state Arbor Day celebration is held in a different host city each year on the first Friday in November and this year it is being hosted by El Paso, Texas.

Across the Lone Star State, Texans are invited to join the celebration Nov. 2, 2018 at the City’s Galaztan Park.

The City of El Paso has a mission to have safe and beautiful neighborhoods, a vibrant regional economy and exceptional recreational, cultural, and educational opportunities.

“Increasing the city’s tree canopy will certainly help us accomplish this and Arbor Day is a great way to start,” said Steve Lunsford, City of El Paso Parks and Recreation Land Management Superintendent.

El Paso is located in far west Texas on the Rio Grande River across the border from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The climate is a high desert at 3,800 feet elevation. Nicknamed “Sun City”, the average rainfall is just 8.71 inches according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In this kind of environment, tree canopy is vital. Recognizing the benefits of a healthy urban forest, the City of El Paso has set out to increase the percentage of the ground that is covered by the City’s canopy.

The Texas Arbor Day celebration theme has been aptly named Growing our Desert Canopy.

The celebration will take place at a newly constructed, state-of-the-art natatorium. Included in the construction is a plan for the facility’s trees. El Paso Parks and Recreation personnel planted more than 100 new trees to enhance the site and increase the existing tree canopy, with plans to plant more in the future.

Arbor Day festivities will feature a ceremony, educational activities and tree plantings. Attendees also will have the opportunity to adopt a tree seedling. All events are free and open to the public.

For those unable to attend the state celebration, Texas A&M Forest Service invites you to celebrate Arbor Day in your own ways, in your own communities.

“The idea is for everyone in Texas to take one day – the same day – to truly appreciate trees and plant one,” said Paul Johnson Texas A&M Forest Service urban and community forestry program coordinator. “Planting a tree leaves a legacy for future generations while beautifying the spaces where we live, work and play today.”

Texas A&M Forest Service is making it easy for anyone, anywhere to participate in Arbor Day. We’ve provided tips online to help you create a memorable Arbor Day in your own community, and fun, educational activities for schools, groups and families to get outdoors and learn more about trees.

Visit http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/arborday/ for ideas on how to host an Arbor Day ceremony. Here you can also find instructions on how to properly plant a tree and activities about the benefits of trees, tree parts and how to identify a tree by its leaves or structure – plus so much more.

About Texas Arbor Day: Under the leadership of the Texas Forestry Association, Texas first observed Arbor Day in 1889, celebrating the benefits that trees provide over a lifetime. Today, the Texas State Arbor Day is sponsored by Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas Forestry Association and the Texas Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture.