Daytime warming centers are activated for Friday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 24. Denver Parks and Recreation will open all currently operating recreation centers as daytime warming centers during regular business hours.Denver's cold weather shelters will open at 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 16 and will remain open as long as cold weather conditions continue.
Since 2022, Denver has been working with community organizations to expand its urban canopy. This initiative focuses on planting trees on private properties in neighborhoods facing more heat, less shade and other effects of climate change.
There are inequities in heat across Denver neighborhoods. These heat-vulnerable neighborhoods have been shown to be historically under-resourced and underserved areas in the city. Neighborhoods with fewer trees than others face higher rates of heat-related illnesses, poor air quality and drought. The following neighborhoods were prioritized for the first round of this initiative:
In this first round, we partnered with two community organizations: The Park People and Americas for Conservation and the Arts. With this teamwork, we were able to coordinate the planting of trees, build close community relationships and care for the new trees. Through its first round, we have planted more than 1,850 trees on private properties across the city.
These trees will help improve the quality of life for Denverites by:
This phase of the Equitable Community Tree Planting Initiative is complete. Planning for the next round of the initiative is underway — the program will return in 2026!