Connected Canopies

To help reduce temperatures and expand access to the benefits of urban trees, Boulder needs major investments to both maintain the health of the existing tree canopy and plant thousands of additional trees, most of which will need to be located on private land.

This work builds on a recent regional strategy for urban forestry expansion. Initial partners include Boulder JCC, the City of Boulder’s Climate Initiatives Department and Parks & Recreation, Boulder Valley Rotary, Citizen Science Soil Health Project, Eco-Cycle, Eco-Warriors, and PLAY Boulder Foundation’s Tree Trust.

Connected Canopies Articles & Resources

Featured

Take Action: Propagate Trees!

Feeling down about climate change, wanting to do something, but not sure what? Consider propagating trees and giving them away!

Winter Tree Care Tips and Information about the PLAY Boulder Foundation’s Tree Trust

Learn about best practices for tree care during winter in Colorado, to keep trees healthy and happy all year long!

Look No Further Than Boulder’s Backyards for Your Fall Apple Picking

Boulder is basically one big urban apple orchard with an abundance of fresh, healthy, affordable fruit for all!

Keep Your Fruit Trees Healthy While Protecting Wildlife

Have you ever observed the abundance of apples growing throughout Boulder? There’s a reason why this surplus of fruit exists today. Learn how to care for fruit trees and protect Boulder’s wildlife.

Trees for a Changing Climate & Resilient Urban Forest

If you look at old photos of Colorado Front Range cities, you won’t see many trees. And if you look up native trees of Colorado, you will find a lot of mountain-growing conifers and just a few deciduous trees that grow along streams. Learn about the history of tree stewardship in the Front Range.

Tree Planting Instructions

Boulder's dry climate and generally poor, alkaline soils present some difficulties for trees. Our soils are usually a shallow layer of compact clay with rocks, over a very dense clay subsoil that is hard for roots to penetrate. Healthy, long-lived urban trees get off to a good start when we pay attention to some tree-planting fundamentals. The following instructions have been shared with over 8,000 trees, which Your Neighborhood Christmas Tree Farm has grown from seed and given away in Boulder over the past 15 years.

The Best Ways To Water Trees In Our Dry, Colorado Climate

If you looked out across the Colorado Front Range hundreds of years ago, you would have seen grassy plains and very few trees. Growing trees in our region is difficult in wet years, let alone in drought years. What can you do during the hot, dry summer to help our leafy friends?

The Superpowers of Trees

We all have superpowers. Every organism, every showing on this planet has something, some unique new purpose that fits perfectly in the constantly changing dance of life in this expanding universe.