Denver's Office of the City Forester proactively engages in education and outreach efforts to help residents understand the importance of our urban tree canopy and become partners in its growth and resilience. Browse the resources in the following sections to learn more:
Join Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) and other community partners for an Arbor Day celebration on Saturday, April 19! Connect with local organizations dedicated to sustainability, forestry, and conservation while learning how to protect and expand Denver’s urban forest. Discover how you can support a greener future and make a positive impact in your community by helping grow Denver’s tree canopy!
Find event details
As of July 2023, the Office of the City Forester has confirmed the presence of Dutch Elm Disease (DED) in the South Park Hill neighborhood. The last known case of DED was 12 years ago and we are hopeful this infection will be isolated to a small area.
DED is a fungal disease transmitted by the elm bark beetle and/or root contact between infected and non-infected elms. Stressed elm trees are more prone to be attacked by the elm bark beetle, so it is best to keep your trees as healthy as possible with proper watering and other best care practices. Signs of DED include wilting, yellowing leaves in the tree-top, branch die-back, and decline of the tree in later stages.
There are preventive treatment options available and it may be possible to save an infected elm tree if caught in the very early infection stages. There is potential for this disease to have a greater impact Denver's elm tree population, so if an infected elm is found on a property, the Office of the City Forester will issue an order to remove the tree within 14 days in an effort to contain the spread. Wood debris must be disposed of properly, so unfortunately wood from the removed tree cannot be kept or stored.
Please be proactive and contact a licensed tree care professional to discuss options for your elm tree(s). To apply pesticides, a contractor must be licensed by the State of Colorado Department of Agriculture. Search for a contractor using the State of Colorado's Pesticide Applicator Search tool. Enter the name of the contractor and select 'Denver' in the list of counties.
If you have questions, please send an email to forestry@denvergov.org.
Search for a Licensed Pesticide Applicator
Learn more about Dutch Elm Disease:
As of summer 2023, Denver is part of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's Trees in Cities Challenge. We join over 80 other cities throughout the world, and one other city in the U.S. in this endeavor. Denver has pledged to plant over 10,300 trees in the next two years, focused in areas of greatest need. Beyond planting trees, Denver's Office of the City Forestr is creating the city's first strategic plan for the urban forest and will soon starting a wood utilization plan to connect lumber with local artists and woodworkers!
Denver commits to plant 10,300 trees by the end of 2024 while strengthening sustainable management of urban forests by striving to meet the following forestry targets and management practices:
- Support partner programs to plant approximately 600 trees on private property in high need equity neighborhoods at no additional cost to Denver residents through Climate Action, Sustainability, & Resiliency (CASR).
- Plant approximately 3,000 Right of Way trees through the Be a Smart Ash program, at no additional cost to the Denver residents.
- Plant approximately 2,600 trees as part of commercial construction projects.
- Plant approximately 800 trees on city parks as part of parks construction projects.
- Host approximately 50 tree planting volunteer opportunities to plant 800 trees utilizing volunteers.
- Plant approximately 1,500 trees through our annual replacement planting program within city parks, parkways, and around our public office buildings.
- Support ongoing NGO programs that provide free or no additional cost street and private property trees to Denver residents during an annual spring event to plant approximately 1,500 trees.
- Complete preventative treatment on approximately 12,000 established trees as part of the integrated pest management programs. This includes trunk injections, foliar application, soil injection, soil remediation, and bark banding.
- Provide approximately 14,000 cubic yards of mulch to the public as part of the wood utilization program.
- Utilize approximately 3,000 volunteer hours for planting and mulching projects in the city parks and parkways.
- Issue and monitor approximately 12,600 tree protection orders on construction sites.
With this pledge, Denver aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Focus approximately 70% of all planting within areas of greater need throughout all planting programs.
- Complete Denver’s first-ever Urban Forest Strategic Plan to gather public input, educate, and plan for the future of Denver’s urban forest.
- Create a new branch of the wood utilization program that distributes higher quality pieces of lumber to local businesses and artisans for better end use.
- Integrate failed trees used for public art and Nature Play installations.
- Mitigate construction impacts and amend soil for notable trees in the city's parks and parkways through soil remediation
- Preserve existing canopy by proactively protecting trees on all construction sites.
- Create healthy, safe, and resilient forests in our Mountain Parks through forest best management practices through site surveys, fuel thinning for fire mitigation, and integrated pest management.
Join the forestry team from Denver Parks and Recreation as they guide us through three stories about the natural world in Denver and a discussion about how we help our urban canopy thrive.
This winter has been especially dry, so residents are encouraged to water trees on their property when temperatures exceed 40 degrees. Without consistent moisture, trees become stressed and will not have enough energy to ward off pests, disease, root death and crown dieback.
Water using the flood-irrigation technique: leave a hose on low-flow for at least 15-20 minutes, moving it around the base of the tree every few minutes until the entire root area is moist. It's important to note that tree root systems are wide, so water under the entire canopy.
The goal is to water enough so that it can seep at least 12" deep into the soil to reach the root system. Because the ground is cold, this may take a couple days of watering to accomplish. Let the soil dry out before watering again.
Learn more about winter tree watering.