One of the most shocking differences between Cole Neighborhood and our old neighborhood of The Highlands is the lack of mature trees. Whereas in the highlands one finds cool, shady, lush (at least for the desert) tree-lined streets, here in Cole most of our blocks are home to two or three trees at best. And those that exist are either relatively young, or elderly trees suffering from years upon years of neglect. Worse yet, it seems that two out of every three trees down here is the dreaded alanthus, Denver's ubiquitous weed tree.Head toward City Park to the east, and you again find tree-lined, shady streets. But not much in Cole.
While I've heard people talk about some sort of "tree blight" in this part of the city, I've been thus unable to find any reference to it, despite dedicated efforts by my good friend Google. But it seems clear to me something over here killed the trees.
What are the consequences for current Cole residents? Well, beyond the obvious aesthetics, there is less shade to filter the brutal Colorado sun, meaning our streets, sidewalks, gardens and yards soak in (and then radiate back) more heat during the summer. Having no shade on our streets drives residents inside in the summertime, reducing the communal quality of life most urban residents prize. Our lawns and gardens require more precious water, and many hell strips simply dry up and blow away. From a wastewater standpoint, trees are a tremendous asset--A study in 1998 suggested that Denver's urban tree canopy at the time provided equivalent value to a 21 million dollar wastewater facility. And finally, we're missing out on trees' inherent ability to filter a tremendous amount of bad stuff from our air--like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide. These last two points are especially important given our neighborhood's proximity to two major highways and metro Denver's expanse of streets and parking lots.
So, we don't have enough trees to start with, the ones we have are either near the end of their life cycle, grossly neglected, or inferior weed trees, and no one is making a point of planting new ones. Anyone else see where things are headed? And I won't even play the global warming card that is so in fashion right now.
It's clear that we need to make a point of getting as many residents of the neighborhood to plant (and care for!) a tree. Compared to other campaigns residents champion, what could be easier than planting a new tree? Well, in all fairness, many residents can't afford to go plunk $100 or more down on a new tree, or don't know the first thing about how to select, plant, or care for a tree in Denver's harsh desert climate.
Last year we learned of a fantastic program put on by The Park People, a Denver non-profit committed to maintaining and enhancing Denver's natural beauty, that makes it easy for anyone--anyone--to help enhance our neighborhood by planting a tree.
Each year the Park People have a tree sale on Arbor Day where they sell carefully-selected Denver-friendly trees at fantastic prices , currently from $45 to $65. And these aren't tiny saplings that will start to provide shade in 25 years--Most of these trees are 4-7 feet tall, so they can make an immediate difference to our landscape.
They also come complete with planting and care instructions, to help ensure the best potential for these trees becoming established, healthy residents of Cole.
Even better, Cole neighborhood was selected this year as one of several to qualify for free street trees--Meaning residents that applied were able to take one of several varieties of trees home free of charge, as long as they planted them streetside.
While the deadline has passed to apply for free street trees for 2007, the Park People's annual tree sale is coming up on April 21st (Earth Day) from 9:00-11:30 at six metro Denver locations. Do your part and take the cash you spend each and every month on cable TV or entertainment and make a very tangible contribution to the neighborhood by purchasing and planting a tree. And just as importantly, make sure your neighbors know about the program, too.
The Park People can be reached at 303.722.6262 or info@theparkpeople.org. And of course check out their website: http://theparkpeople.org.
Thanks for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment