ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Albuquerque officials are calling for 100,000 trees to be planted in the city over the next decade to restore urban forests.
Mayor Tim Keller says Albuquerque is losing its tree canopy by nearly a percent per year, leaving the city increasingly vulnerable to heat, wind and climate change.
He says his administration will create a plan that includes establishing an assistant city forester position to help with the new initiative.
Albuquerque’s “urban forests” include the Bosque, which is thick with cottonwood trees along the Rio Grande. Albuquerque is also bordered by national forest.
Officials say many trees in the city are 70 to 90 years old, and nearing the end of their life spans.
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