The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.  


—Nelson Henderson

The cultivation of trees is the cultivation of the good, the beautiful and the ennobling in man.


—J. Sterling Morton

He who plants a tree, plants a hope.  


—Lucy Larcom

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

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.