This short documentary film (90 second excerpt above) depicts the migration of a Mesquite tree from a rural to an urban context.
What we Asked:
What are the implications and potentials of conducting Assisted Migration (AM) for cities?
What we Discovered:
The Mesquite Mile, a project of which Commonstudio co-founders Kim and Daniel are co-collaborators along with Travis Neel, and Erin Charpentier, employs an AM approach for the purpose of urban afforestation. In this work, we focus on a single iconic species: the Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa).
The Mesquite has long been considered both a savior and a scourge for ranchers and farmers since the times of early Colonization across the southern High Plains region, providing needed shade and food for livestock during the hottest, driest stretches of summer, but quickly invading open grasslands and pastures when undigested seeds are deposited in the fertile droppings of cattle.
To contemporary farmers and ranchers in West Texas, the Mesquite is largely considered an invasive nuisance tree and is routinely removed through controlled burning, mechanical or chemical means in rural landscapes. Meanwhile, in nearby cities such as Lubbock, there exists an entirely different, and considerably more positive perception of this tree, its value, and its meaning. Urban properties in this semi-arid climate with any kind of tree come at a premium. It’s here in the city that the Mesquite, in particular, is widely known and celebrated for its lore, its delicate foliage, its pollinator-friendly yellow flowers, and its association with smoked meat.
It’s perhaps not surprising that urban trees are associated with increased property values, decreased heating and cooling bills, and higher urban biodiversity. But planting from a sapling can take decades to pay off (if at all). This high level of risk and lengthy time frame are more than many are willing to stomach. It’s this inverted perception of the Mesquite that drives our team toward a (provocatively simple) reciprocal bargain–to carefully facilitate the strategic relocation of these trees from one context to the other, and in so doing maximize their cumulative benefits over time.
What we Did:
Working in collaboration with videographer Andrew Ina, we produced a 15 minute short documentary film depicting the migration of a single mature Mesquite from peri-urban range land in Tahoka, TX, to the Heart of Lubbock neighborhood. The film is presented without context, narration or music, and is intended as a meditation on the process, implications and potential of Assisted Migration. This piece has been exhibit widely in group shows throughout Texas.
Stills taken from documentation of a transplanted Mesquite Tree from Tahoka to Lubbock, TX (Source: The Mesquite Mile, Travis Neel, Erin Charpentier with Commostudio)
This piece is one part of a larger, long-term project in collaboration with Travis Neel and Erin Charpentier, and is supported in part by an Interchange Grant. Interchange is a program of the Mid-America Arts Alliance and funded by the Mellon Foundation. For an in-depth exploration of Assisted Migration, its history and its future implications, please see: