Million Trees El Paso
Million Trees El Paso, our Tree Planting Program
Eco El Paso is proud to present our Tree Planting Program, Million Trees El Paso!
Million Trees El Paso is a program with an ambitious goal: to plant and care for at least one million new native or drought-tolerant trees across the city, starting within underserved communities throughout the El Paso region! The goal is to restore the “tree canopy cover”—the area of land shaded by trees—in the Greater El Paso, TX region and to reduce the heat island effect, while creating numerous environmental and aesthetic benefits.
Eco El Paso will fund this project through community donations, our membership program, and grant writing. We will purchase the trees for this program from local nurseries and small businesses to promote local economic development and local jobs. We will then reach out to the applicants of the program when we select their Zip Code so we can coordinate a tree planting event with the local community. Then we reach out to our Volunteers to help us plant trees and educate the homeowners on the benefits of trees and how to care for trees. We appreciate your volunteer support and donations for this program to thrive for many years to come!
Sign up using our application at the bottom of this website!
Trees Planted
Complete the Tree Application at the bottom of this page!
There are numerous benefits to trees, even in a hot desert climate like El Paso. Trees will reduce the heat island effect and reduce heat in neighborhoods across the county. Lower temperatures and shaded walking paths will encourage people to walk more, spend more time outside, and will reduce energy bills by reducing cooling costs. Lower energy bills will mean less water used by our electric utility to create electricity, less natural gas consumption by the utility, and will reduce overall pollution. Trees shade your yard or home, which reduces heat radiation that continues at night on concrete, asphalt, and rock yards after the sun goes down. Trees are aesthetically appealing, increase curb appeal when selling your home, provide habitat to nature, and provide much-needed shade in our hot-arid climate. Trees help reduce erosion, clean the air, provide biodiversity, reduce climate change, and provide food for pollinators. We only focus on native or drought-tolerant trees that will thrive in the El Paso region.
Follow our Facebook Page for Million Trees El Paso and follow our Facebook Group for Million Trees El Paso.
Call before you dig! Call 311 and ask the city to check before you dig.
Check out the documents below with more research
Native or Desert Friendly Trees - Examples
* Follow our friends at the West Texas Urban Forestry Council.
- Desert Museum Palo Verde – Parkinsonia Florida
- Desert Willow – Chilopsis linearis
- Arizona Ash / Modesto Ash - Fraxinus velutina
- Arizona White oak – Quercus arizonica
- Desert Live Oak - Quercus Turbinella
- Vitex, Chaste Tree – Vitex agnus-castus
- Chinese Pistache – Pistacia chinensis
- Afghan Pine or Italian Stone Pine – Pinus eldarica
- Arizona Cypress – Cupressus glabra
- Alligator Juniper – Juniperus deppeana
- Escarpment Live Oak – Quercus fusiformis
- Deodar Cedar - Cedrus deodora
- Desert Olive – Forestiera pubescens (neomexicana)
- Fragrant Ash Juniper – Juniperus species
- Lacebark elm – Ulmus parvifolia
- Italian Stone Pine – Pinus pinea
- Pinyon Pine – Pinus edulis
- Texas Madrone – Arbutus xalapensis
- Yaupon Holly – Ilex vomitoria
- Texas Mountain Laurel – Dermatophyllum secundiflorum
- Bigtooth Maple – Acer grandidentatum
- Burr Oak – Quercus macrocarpa
- Chinkapin Oak – Quercus muehlenbergii
- Cottonwood – Populus deltoides ssp. wislizeni
- Crepe myrtle – Lagerstroemia indica
- Texas Honey mesquite – Prosopis glandulosa
- Mexican buckeye – Ungnadia speciosa
- Mexican redbud – Cercis canadensis var. mexicana
- Screwbean mesquite, Tornillo – Prosopis pubescens
- Texas red oak – Quercus buckelyi
- London Plane - Plantanus x acerifolia
- Pecan – Carya illinoensis
- Mexican White Oak - Quercus polymorpha
- Desert Ironwood - Olneya
- Flameleaf sumac – Rhus lanceolata
- Golden Rain tree – Koelreuteria paniculata
- Goldenball leadtree – Leuceana retusa
- Texas persimmon – Diospyros texana
- Honey locust – Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis
- Mexican plum – Prunus mexicana
- Osage Orange – Maclura pomifera
- Western soapberry – Sapindus drummondii
- Mexican Elder - Alnus jorullensis
- Aleppo Pine - Pinus halepensis
- Leyland False Cypress - Cupressus x leylandii
- Western Red Cedar - Thuja plicata
- Eucalyptus
- Sweet acacia – Acacia farnesiana ‘smalli’
- Japanese pagoda – Styphnolobium japonicum
- Littleleaf Walnut – Juglans microcarpa
Contact Info
Program Overview
Below are a few details about the Million Trees EP program by Eco El Paso. Please use the application form at the bottom of this page to sign up and volunteer. Thanks for your support!
Residential
Our primary focus will be in Residential communities, especially those that are underserved, focused on native or drought tolerant trees that will thrive in our harsh desert region. Homeowners will be responsible for watering and caring for the trees year round especially during harsh summer month.
We are seeking Community Tree Advocates who live in each of these communities to serve as a point of contact to help coordinate meetings between your community and Eco El Paso. Tree Advocates will help us facilitate the program in their neighborhoods, organize neighbors, educate us on their wants and needs for their neighborhood, answer questions, and ensure a smooth process in your community.
Parks & Trails
We often partner with the City of El Paso (El Paso Parks & Recreation) and other groups to plant trees at City Parks (Ascarate Park, Westside Community Spray Park & Dog Park, etc.) as well as hiking and biking trails like the Paso Del Norte Trail. If you would like to add trees to the existing trails or city parks across the city, contact our team and we will partner with the various entities to schedule a tree planting event. Each event requires significant planning and fundraising so we can buy the trees, but often times we also need to raise money for proper irrigation if those funds can't be allocated by the city or other groups.
Schools
Eco El Paso also partners with various schools across the county such as EPISD and we're happy to learn more about your school's facilities and how we can assist you with tree planting at your sites. Contact our team and tell us about your school's facilities and your specific request and need for tree planting assistance. We're happy to partner with public school districts, universities, etc., and are open to your requests if you own a private education institution.
El Paso Zoo
The El Paso Zoo has partnered with Eco El Paso in our tree-planting efforts in a variety of ways. To date, the El Paso Zoo has donated over 190 native or drought-tolerant trees to the general public since 2020. We thank the Zoo for partnering with us in our tree-planting effort across El Paso!
Collaboration & Partnerships
We want to work with other nonprofits, clubs, associations, local businesses, and citizens, to support this initiative. We also want to extend our invitation to volunteers to assist us in raising funds for the tree planting program and to volunteer their time to plant trees. All donations will be tax-deductible since we're a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
Next Steps
Fill out the application form below and let us know why you would like to nominate your community for our next Million Trees El Paso planting efforts and why you would like to be a Community Tree Advocate for your neighborhood. We look forward to hearing from you and learning more about your neighborhood.
Why are trees important to our environment and El Paso?
Trees clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, secure the land from erosion, provide habitat to biodiversity, provide jobs, medicines, absorb carbon, and help reduce climate change and global warming.
- Air
- Water
- Land Erosion / Reduces Flooding
- Prevent Soil Erosion & Desertification
- Biodiversity
- Social Impact
- Health
- Climate Change
- Shade / Reduce Heat Island Effect
- Curb Appeal
- Beauty (Spring/Fall Blooms)
- Food for Bees and other Pollinators
