Community receives free trees in ‘Let’s Plant ABQ’ event

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – On Saturday morning, volunteers were out in the south Los Altos neighborhood in Albuquerque, working for a greener future to take root, one tree at a time. 

“The doorbell rang, I came out to see what it was, and it was a flyer on the door, and I called immediately,” said Stephanie Quoshena. 

Quoshena and her husband got two new trees planted Saturday. 

“It’s great. It’s been great to see all the people that are willing to participate because we need our trees. We had to cut down a pine tree this past year, so it was better that we were able to pull them back in,” said Quoshena.

David Simon is the executive director of the city Parks and Recreation Department. He says they want to plant 100,000 trees over the next decade. 

“What we’re doing now is a huge investment, you know, in the future of our city, and there’s a great saying that like when is the best time to plant a tree? Well, the answer is yesterday, but the second-best time to plant a tree is today,” said Simon. 

Simon says they’re already at 20% of that goal, and on Saturday, they added another 100 trees to the count. 

Along with beautifying the city, there are perks to planting trees. 

“If you plant a tree in your yard, and it’s on the list of qualified trees, you can submit the paperwork to the Water Utility Authority, and you’ll get a rebate or a discount on your water bill,” Simon said. 

And now the Quosenas are eligible for that “treebate.”

“It’s just an addition to our little babies here, and I just saw, I’m pretty excited for the shade, and the beauty is gonna add to the neighborhood,” said Quoshena.

And don’t worry if you missed the trees today, they will be hosting a free tree giveaway next Saturday at the park near Hawthorne Elementary School. 

For more information on “Let’s Plant ABQ,” click here.