By Carola Rico
The new reforestation campaign, headed by Mayor Mauricio Trejo, is intent on making “San Miguel de Allende greener every day.” With the presence of students, teachers, parents, and municipal officials, the Department of Environment and Sustainability has begun planting 100,000 plants in 100 days near Federico Froebel kindergarten in the Infonavit Malanquín neighborhood.
“It’s important that the Municipality not only come, give us a hand, and say: Now! Now it’s our turn to maintain, and take care of, so the effort by the Municipality bears fruit… I think the effort is excellent because saying 100,000 seems easy, but it really is a lot. It covers a lot and I think it’s great. More than 100,000 neighbors will have to get their act together and preserve all the work that is being done, and maintain it,” stressed the kindergarten director, Lorena Patricia Arvizu Pérez.
This new project, “San Miguel de Allende greener every day,” considers both urban and rural areas. The middle and upper areas of the watershed of San Miguel will allow the trees and shrubs to mitigate and adapt to global climate change. From now until August, natural specimens will be planted to take advantage of the rainy season. This will increase their chances of establishing themselves and quickly adapting during the wet period in the municipality.
“It includes schools, parks, the atriums of some churches, pocket parks, and some institutions such as an asylum, and the Patronato Pro Niños facility. Because of humidity, heat, temperature, it’s the ideal time,” said the director of Environment and Sustainability, Alejandro Castro.
This campaign is also taking advantage of the water lily extraction from the Allende reservoir. The collected plants will be processed and converted into natural fertilizer that will nourish the transplants.
“In the Municipal Nursery, we take in debris that come as organic matter from the pruning and felling of trees around the municipality. We can make compost that serves as a substrate for these plantations. In the case of the water lily, it’s no secret that we have tons and tons that are being removed every day, and part of that collection is being composted to generate a very nourishing substrate that helps plants to ‘grab the soil.’ They can be nourished and developed in the proper way,” Castro explained.
“San Miguel de Allende greener every day” is not only an effort of the Municipal Government. It brings together all the residents of each area so they take ownership of it and make it a permanent success.
“We take the first step, which is to come, plant, clean, paint, regenerate, rehabilitate. The next step is for the residents of the community to follow up, accompanied by us, with the care of these green spaces, of which they are the primary beneficiaries. The second beneficiaries are the residents of the municipality,” said Castro.
The 100,000 plants are generated mainly in the Municipal Nursery, managed by Grupo México, which provides 50 thousand of them. Another 25 thousand were donated. The Offices of Environment and Territorial Planning (SMAOT) will be donating 25-50 thousand more. The vast majority are native, adaptable, tolerant plants such as flame coral (colorín), oak (encino), ash (fresno), acacia (huizache), mesquite, nopal, ocotillo, palo blanco, palo dulce, pine (pino), willow (sauce), Tepehuaje, agave, poplar (álamo), and palo verde, among others.
The monitoring strategy to ensure these plants thrive and reach their adult stage is by forming community care teams. They’ll deliver periodic reports—first, every two weeks, then monthly, and finally quarterly. They’ll also supervise progress and maintenance, acting as go-between for society and government. The offices of Public Services and Quality of Life, Infrastructure and Public Works, Education and Infrastructure, Culture and Traditions, Historical Center and Heritage, as well as the Municipal Institute for Attention to Women (IMAM) are also participating in this campaign of the Municipal Government.
