Denver’s Urban Forest and Colorado Trees
If you live in Denver, you live in an Urban Forest Environment.
Much of Denver’s urban forestry efforts were founded by a recent college graduate named Al Rollinger, in the summer of 1969. He walked around the city noting the types of trees that existed on 3×5 index cards. That fall, his secretary typed up Rollinger’s “Tree Pioneers of Denver.” A fifty year project with Denver’s Botanic Garden began shortly thereafter. This project keeps tabs on tree species thriving (and dying) in Denver, giving city foresters insights into what urban forestry might look like as we move into the future.
Historically, and today, trees are an extremely important asset to any property for aesthetic and functional reasons. In Denver, trees provide for attractive streets and properties. They also share vital shade from the sun at this mile-high altitude. We have a lot to thank trees for, like cleaning the air around them, and turning carbon dioxide into usable oxygen! On the same hand, tree populations help fight climate change for this reason.
Through cooling homes and beautifying our local landscape, trees do a lot. They increase property value, create character in neighborhoods, improve water and air quality, and reduce hot summer temperatures through shading the land. The city of Denver valuates the annual ecosystem benefits of our trees at over fifteen million dollars annually! This information is quantified and kept in a really interesting tool, the Denver Treeport Card. You can check it out here!
Denver really cares about its environment.
It’s one of the only major cities in the United States with a City Forester. We love that! This being said, we’re here to help where the city doesn’t — at your home and commercial properties.
The most prevalent tree species in Denver are Maple, Ash, Locust, Linden, Oak, and Elm trees. There’s thousands of them! Basic tree care you can do at home includes making sure your trees are watered, and making sure you can see the sky if your standing underneath the tree’s canopy. Dense, tangled branches are more prone to breaking, dying, and falling.
Denver’s City Forester takes care of all trees located on streets and in parks. The city relies on property owners to properly care for their own trees. This is where Colorado Trees can help!
It’s important to know an arborist! If you have established, larger trees on your property, we’re able to come check them out, just because! Right now, we’re offering a Vitality Treatment Soil Application. This helps your tree get through dormant and drought periods for a longer amount of time then it would on it’s own. This treatment helps the transpiration process, increases leaf thickness and root density, and helps the microbiome on the roots and in the soil work more effectively.
If you still have questions, contact us! We’d love to chat.
