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Rocky Mountain Maple,
Stunning Fall Foliage
Limber Pine,
a Mind of Its Own
Englemann
Spruce,
Revealing Its Red Trunk
Rocky Mountain Juniper,
Spreading Shelter
Douglas-Fir,
Reliable, Long-lived, and Hardy
Subalpine
Fir,
Narrow with a Striking Gray Trunk
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Planting a tree is always a good thing. It
enhances the value of your property, helps counter global
warming, and creates a source of beauty and pleasure for
generations to come.
The information here will help you decide
what kinds of trees to plant and how to care for them to
assure they survive their early years.
The National Arbor Day
Foundation website
is an especially good resource; just click on “trees” at the
top of the page. The site offers guidance on choosing trees
and placing them on your property. You can look up specific
tree species, learn about hardiness zones, and even watch a
video on planting trees properly.
In addition, we have added a
native tree list
and a link to the Estes Valley Development Code's
recommended tree and
shrub
list
on this page. The native tree list has all of Colorado’s
native trees with those known to live in our area
highlighted in boldface. The EVDC recommended list includes
non-native trees that grow here successfully. It also
includes hardiness, water needs, and sizes of trees when
fully grown.
CHOOSING AND PLANTING
A TREE
Many nurseries along the Front Range now
stock native trees. It’s a good idea to have the Latin names
of the trees when you inquire. Common names vary, even with
trees. For instance, the EVDC recommended list uses “Common
Juniper” for Juniperus scopulorum, a tree most of us know as
“Rocky Mountain Juniper.” If you have trouble locating a
species you’d like to plant, contact the Tree Board for
possible sources.
Once you’ve selected your tree and placed it
on your property so that it will not interfere with
structures, overhead power lines, or your view, the work
begins. Digging in our ground can be difficult, a factor
that must be considered in placement. With larger trees,
it’s often best to have them planted by the nursery. The
ideal planting conditions described on the National Arbor
Day Foundation website may not be possible, but use their
suggestions as a guide.
CARING FOR YOUNG TREES
Once in the ground, young trees generally
need supplemental watering for the first two years. Long
periods without rain or snow can weaken or kill a newly
transplanted tree. It’s usually not a chore to water trees
in the summer, but they also need watering in the winter,
whether by hose or bucket. Consider that factor as well. In
winter, water when the ground will absorb it and daytime
temperatures are above freezing.
Residents of the Estes Valley face additional
challenges from wildlife damage. Young coniferous trees can
be damaged by deer and elk rubbing their antlers on them,
often to dislodge the protective coating on new antler
growth. Deciduous trees, such as aspen, can be devoured down
to the root. Generally a few T-posts and wire or nylon
fencing will protect young trees. Take a look around your
neighborhood at how others have thwarted the deer and elk.
PLANTING DIVERSITY
Finally, consider diversity. Planting different
species of trees adds variety and visual interest to your
landscape. It also protects your property.
Drought, insect infestations, and disease affect species
differently. With a mix of tree species, you are not
susceptible to a massive loss as you would be if you only
had, for instance, ponderosa pines on your property.
The most common tree in our area is the
ponderosa. The most commonly planted tree is probably
Colorado blue spruce. Both are wonderful, but don’t overlook
the other coniferous trees you’ll find on the native tree
list below.
CONIFEROUS TREES
Among the pines, lodgepole pine grows well in
our area. In its natural state, it often grows in tight
stands of small-trunked, somewhat scraggly trees. But
planted alone, with room to grow, it becomes a stately and
beautiful tree. Limber pine is probably at its lower limit
in the Estes Valley. Here’s a tree with a mind of its own.
It foregoes the traditional columnar shape to do its own
thing. At maturity, it is one of the most interesting trees
we have. The photo of the Lake Haiyaha tree on the Tree
Board’s home page shows the character it can develop.
Subalpine fir has a striking gray trunk with
black horizontal lines across it. It grows straight, tall,
and very narrow, giving it a unique appearance. Douglas-fir
is a reliable tree, growing in many habitats. Heavily
furrowed bark and dark-green, dense foliage make it a
favorite. It is very long-lived and hardy. You may be
planting the next Hercules (see Historical Trees) when you
choose a Doug-fir.
Englemann spruce is the most common tree in the high
country. Driving along Trail Ridge Road on the south side of
Hidden Valley, you’ll be in a forest predominated by
Englemann. Tall, narrower than a Colorado blue spruce, they
reveal their beautiful trunks, often colored red on one side
and light gray on the other.
For a dense, shorter tree that will help build a visual
barrier, consider Rocky Mountain juniper. These trees grow
well and quickly in most environments, including dry, rocky
soil, and they spread out to create shelter for birds, as
well as humans.
DECIDUOUS
TREES
There is not as much choice in deciduous trees, and it’s
difficult to beat aspen for beauty. For a larger tree,
narrowleaf cottonwood would be a good choice. Balsam poplar
also does well, but it’s difficult to find a source for
them.
Mountain alder and western river birch are smaller overall
and often multi-trunked. Rocky Mountain maple is more often
a large shrub than a tree, but its foliage is among the most
inviting, especially in fall. Mountain-ash is a lovely,
smaller tree with clusters of orange berries. Greene
mountain-ash is native to the area, but European
mountain-ash, more readily available, grows well here, too.
All the deciduous trees require moister habitats or
consistent irrigation to be truly successful. They must be
fully protected from deer and elk.
NATIVE TREES OF COLORADO
Native trees are almost always a good choice
for landscaping. Their hardiness has already been tested in
our environment. The list below includes all the native
trees in the state with the ones that are known to grow wild
in our area in boldface.
Coniferous Trees
Abies concolor, white fir
Abies lasiocarpa, subalpine fir
Abies lasiocarpa arizonica, corkbark fir
Juniperus
monosperma, one-seeded juniper
Juniperus osteosperma, Utah juniper
Juniperus scopulorum, Rocky Mountain juniper
Picea
engelmanni, Engelmann spruce
Picea pungens, Colorado blue spruce
Pinus
aristata, bristlecone pine
Pinus contorta var. latifolia, lodgepole pine
Pinus edulis, pinyon pine
Pinus flexilis, limber pine
Pinus ponderosa, ponderosa pine
Pinus strobiformis, southwestern white pine
Psuedotsuga menziesii, Douglas-fir
Deciduous Trees
Acer glabrum, Rocky Mountain maple
Acer grandidentatum, bigtooth maple
Acer negundo, boxelder
Alnus tenuifolia, mountain alder
Betula occidentalis, western river birch
Betula papyrifera, paper birch (only in Boulder County)
Celtis occidentalis, western hackberry
Celtis douglasii, netleaf, canyon hackberry
Crataegus chrysocarpa
Crataegus erythropoda, red stem hawthorn
Crataegus dougalsii var. rivularis, river hawthorn
Crataegus saligna, hawthorn
Crataegus succulenta, fleshy hawthorn
Fraxinus anomola, single leaf ash
Populus acuminata, lanceleaf cottonwood
Populus angustifolia, narrowleaf cottonwood
Populus balsamifera, balsam poplar
Populus candicans
Populus fremonti, Fremont cottonwood
Populus deltoids v. occidentalis, plains cottonwood
Populus tacamahacca
Populus tremuloides, quaking aspen
Populus wislizeni, “Fremont" cottonwood
Prosopsis glandulosa v glandulosa, honey mesquite
Prunus americana, American plum
Prunus pennsylvanica, pin cherry
Prunus virginiana, western chokecherry
Ptelea trifoliate, common hoptree
Quercus gambellii, Gambel oak
Quercus mohriana, Mohr oak
Quercus undulata, wavyleaf oak
Rhus glabra, Sumac
Robinia neomexicana, New Mexican locust
Robinia pseudoacacia, black locust
Salix fragilis, crack willowwq
Salix amygdaloides, peachleaf willow
Salix bebbiana, Bebb willow
Salix gooddingi, Goodding willow
Salix lasiandra (lucida), Pacific/shining (whiplash)
willow
Salix nigra, black willow
Sorbus scopulina, Greene mountain-ash
Based on
a list compiled by Philip Hoefer in November, 2002, using
Harrington's Manual of the Plants of Colorado and George
Kelly's Trees for the Rocky Mountains, plus feedback from
others at CSU and the Colorado Tree Coalition
RECOMMENDED PLANT LIST
The recommended plant
list
from
the Estes Valley Development Code is a remarkable resource,
especially if you intend to branch out into non-native
species. It gives height and spread at maturity, lists water
needs, and gives a hardiness rating. It includes shrubs and
flowers, as well as trees, and you can download it as a pdf
file. |
