SUBSCRIBE NOW

Enjoy all your local news and sports for less than 6¢ per day.

Subscribe Now

Free trees for Horseshoe Bay residents

1 Million Trees Across Texas

Scenic Texas is working with cities to plant more trees, such as these in San Marcos, and has entered a partnership with the city of Horseshoe Bay to offer free trees to its residents. Courtesy photo

Horseshoe Bay residents can sign up for a free tree sapling thanks to a partnership between the city and the nonprofit Scenic Texas. The giveaway is part of Scenic Texas’ 1 Million Trees Across Texas program.

Horseshoe Bay City Manager Stan Farmer contacted Scenic Texas about the city participating in the program.

“It’s good for us,” he said. “I passed it along to citizens. It’s pretty easy. It’s not hard or strenuous.”

To get a free sapling, a resident must have a home with an irrigation system that can reach the tree. Corner-lot homes bordering two streets may receive two seedlings. Residents can choose from chinquapin oak, Monterrey oak, and cedar elm.

The deadline to order is Aug. 1. Delivery is in November or December.

Residents should email hsbtrees@horseshoe-bay-tx.gov for more information or to place an order. When ordering, residents need to include a physical address, the type of tree, and the number of trees.

Dripping Springs resident Bill Brock, a Scenic Texas volunteer, came up with the 1 Million Trees Across Texas idea.

“Horseshoe Bay is a lovely, well-planned city from the very beginning,” he said. “It was purposely designed when several subdivisions came together to create it. The people there are very concerned with the quality of life. It’s a great enhancer for them to have more trees.”

Brock noted that trees help the environment because they absorb carbon dioxide, removing and storing carbon while releasing oxygen, and they add beauty to communities, roadways, and other places people enjoy.

“Everybody loves seeing trees on streets,” he said.

Scenic Texas President Sarah Tober noted that Brock planted trees in Guatemala while serving in the Peace Corps.

“He wants to leave a legacy of a million trees in Texas,” she said.

Tober said Scenic Texas is happy to partner with Horseshoe Bay and noted the organization wants to team up with cities, subdivisions, and developers with the program.

“We want to get residents involved,” Tober said. “We love it. It’s a fabulous idea.”

UPDATE: A previous version of this story said that Scenic Texas was offering Chinese pistache saplings. A Master Naturalist pointed out to the organization that the tree is an invasive species, so it has been removed from the program’s offerings.

jfierro@thepicayune.com