Environmental
Utility-Friendly Vegetation
Here are examples of what residents should plant under powerlines, since they are predicted to not grow taller than 20-feet. These trees were selected as ones commonly sold in local nurseries.
Gulf Coast:
- Bottlebrush - Callistemon spp.
- Pineapple Guava- Acca sellowiana
- Rose of Sharon- Hibiscus syriacus
- Redbud ' Forest Pansy'- Cercis canadensis
- Meyer lemon- Citrus X meyeri
- Mandarin Orange- Citrus reticulata
- Eagleston Holly - Ilex x attenuata
- Alta Magnolia- Magnolia grandiflora 'TMGH'
- Texas Mountain Laurel- Dermatophyllum secundiflorum
- Chinese Fringe Tree- Chionanthus retusus
- Crepe Myrtle – Lagerstoemia spp
North and Central Texas:
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Texas Redbud-Cercis canadensi var. texensis
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Mexican Redbud- Cercis canadensis var. mexicana
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Crepe Myrtle – Lagerstoemia spp.
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American Smoke tree- Cotinus obovatus
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Goldenball Lead tree- Leucaena retusa
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Hawthorn-Crataegus spp.
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Texas Mountain Laurel- Sophora secundiflora
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Rusty Blackhaw-Viburnum rufidulum
Pollinators
At TNMP, we take our commitment to the environment and efforts to protect Texas’s wildlife seriously. Pollinators are rapidly declining and are essential to ecosystem function. The Monarch butterfly is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list and is a candidate for listing as threatened by U.S. Fish and Wildlife. Other pollinator species, such as the bumble bee, have recently been listed as threatened or endangered.
To address these concerns, we are launching a new Pollinator Program as part of our 5-year plan to fully implement pollinator friendly practices at TNMP. We are currently in the planning and researching phase for the first year of the program.
Through our Pollinator Program, we will:
- Assess pollinator habitat in Texas.
- Track vegetation composition over time.
- Gather this baseline data to integrate best practices that benefit pollinators into existing programs and activities.
Other initiatives include:
- Educational programs focusing on pollinators and power.
- Pollinator friendly landscaping and maintenance standards.
- Increased protection of native habitat during construction projects, including planting pollinator species when reseeding after construction projects.
- Pollinator plant seed packet giveaways.
- Habitat restoration work and research.
The Pollinator Program supports practices to preserve native habitat and aligns with federal initiatives on infrastructure development, species protections, and habitat and land conservation.
Learn more about Pollinators by joining the EPRI Pollinator Power Party, a yearly event sponsored by PNM Resources to celebrate pollinators and by watching the award-winning documentary, Power for Pollinators. Power for Pollinators explores how power companies are uniquely positioned to use right of way corridors and buffer zones to create pollinator habitat.