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GreenPrint Denver branches out to Windsor
By: Bill Scanlon
The Rocky Mountain News
June 12, 2008
A new program encouraging metro Denver residents to give money to plant trees will donate its first dollars to the town of Windsor, where a tornado earlier this month damaged or destroyed more than 300 homes and tore up hundreds of trees.
GreenPrint Denver's Mile High Million program aims to plant 1 million trees in the eight-county area (Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson and Weld counties) by the year 2025.
Some 77,000 trees have been planted so far, but to accelerate the effort, a new program called TreeBank has been launched. People can go to a web site and not only register their own trees, but make donations so more can be planted, Jill McGranahan, director of marketing and communications for Denver Parks and Recreation.
Windsor, in Weld County about 50 miles north of Denver, is outside the program's Tree by Tree focus area, but "It is important to us to extend our friendship and help them rebuild their urban forest for the future," said Sara Davis, Tree by Tree — The Mile High Million program coordinator.
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper added, "It's the least we can do for a community that's been through so much."
Suncor recently donated $1 million over the next five years to the project.
The tree-planting effort aims to beautify the metro area, blend nature with the urban environment and support sustainability.
Trees help reduce greenhouse gases that cause global warming. They also control erosion, prevent water runoff, and provide natural cooling to buildings and pavement.
TreeBank donors can direct their contributions to the community of their choice by going to www.greenprintdenver.org/trees/support.php.
Tree Tallies by city
Trees planted in the first year of the Mile High Million campaign that was launched in April 2007
Trees Reported Without Address 41,646
Denver 15,115
Broomfield 3,457
Aurora 2,847
Arvada 645
Lakewood 622
Westminster 531
Littleton 476
Englewood 375
Lone Tree 351
Greenwood Village 291
Parker 289
Castle Rock 241
Longmont 229
Brighton 212
Commerce City 204
Highlands Ranch 138
Boulder 135
Douglas County 110
Superior 78
Lafayette 75
Louisville 75
Thornton 58
Northglenn 56
Erie 30
Glendale 30
Centennial 25
Cherry Hills Village 17
Golden 14
Wheat Ridge 14
Frederick 5
Firestone 3
Windsor 2
Bennett 1
First Year Total 68,397
To date total: 77,048
Some thoughts on trees:
"People who will not sustain trees will soon live in a world that will not sustain people" — Bryce Nelson, tree expert.
"He who plants a tree loves others beside himself" — English proverb
"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in" — Greek proverb
"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree" — Martin Luther
What to plant:
A dozen trees recommended by Denver, Boulder, Lakewood and Aurora Urban Foresters as being suitable for this climate:
Autumn purple ash
Sugar maple
Colorado spruce
Weeping Norway spruce
Red horse chestnut
Kentucky coffeetree
Honey locust
Catalpa
White oak
Spring snow crab
Bing cherry
Gingko
For the complete list of recommended trees -- there are several dozen -- go to GreenprintDenver.org
Article URL:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008
/jun/12/greenprint-denver-branches-out-windsor/
