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With summer right around the corner, young will trees need your extra support to stay healthy. Healthy trees are better able to withstand drought, fight off pests, and flourish. After proper planting, watering is the most essential activity for establishing trees. This post has resources on watering, and some good information on supporting pollinators and managing one of Denver's most damaging pests. Want to learn how to tackle those pesky Japanese Beetles? Or tips for when to water your trees? We've got all that and more. Plus, if this blog doesn't answer all your questions, feel free to reach out to us at treecare@TheParkPeople.org to get some answers.

Read here to learn more about your tree's water needs. It’s that time of year when you sit out on your patio and smell the neighbor’s sprinklers as they rotate back and forth across the grass, hitting the fence and sometimes the street. Irrigation systems are an enormous timesaver and are often the make it or break it element to thriving landscapes in Denver. But are they delivering enough water to your trees? And if you don’t have one, how much water should you be giving those trees? We've got tips for several watering methods, including hose, bucket, drip irrigation, and spray irrigation. Remember, watering trees is an investment. The shade trees provide decreases water loss to evaporation,  more so than the amount of water required to keep them healthy. Plus, if you're willing to go the extra mile, trees can be watered with recycled or already used water. Check out this blog to learn more

The Park People wants to share tips for protecting your trees during Colorado's spring season.

Our spring treecare blog includes: ways to protect buds and newly formed growths that may freeze if temperatures drop, a highlight of The Park People's 4-season Tree Care Guide, how to protect your trees during spring storms, a way to save money and water with rainwater collection, and a reminder for Denver's free mulch giveaway!

As always, you can reach out to our Tree Care Hotline at treecare@TheParkPeople.org with any questions. 

The Park People could not accomplish its incredible work planting trees, improving parks, and greening our city without the support of local champions. Shawn Snelgrove is one of those generous, thoughtful Denverites. She was involved in our program, Community Forester, and quickly became a part of the crew. Seeing the need to steward our urban forest, she decided to use her time and talents to support our organization in more ways than one. 

Not only is she a Denver Community Forester, but Shawn is the Founder and President of Brainstorming A la Mode, Inc. Using her coaching and consulting capabilities, she recently held a training on public speaking, and engagement for facilitators with staff members of The Park People and the Office of the City Forester who teach the Community Forester workshops. It was truly a worthwhile and incredibly helpful experience.

We met up with her and asked her some questions regarding her work with The Park People.

There is a well-documented worker shortage across the country. As hiring demands grow towards pre-pandemic numbers, we’re still seeing inadequate numbers of workers. Many experts note that wage stagnation over the last several decades contributes to this shortage. To make matters more complicated, the number of skilled workers does not match the demand for the crucial, innovative work across industries. There are not enough resources available to help folks transition to better paying, more stable careers. This is also affecting Denver's urban forest.

Our new program Treeforce, laucnhing August 2022, will address these issues.

Read this blog post to learn how we will help fill the worker shortage throughout the greater Denver area, while connecting community members facing barriers to employment to meaningful career paths in urban forestry