Beat the Heat and Take Action with Denver Digs Trees

Offering nine stunning varieties of urban hardy trees, Denver Digs Trees is back in full swing this year, and it couldn’t be soon enough. Denver is in the midst of an eerily hot and dry winter and fall, following a summer marked by extreme heat, wildfires, and drought. The Front Range will continue to heat up, at least for the next 60 years, even if our carbon emissions were to grind to a halt today. In the face of such daunting challenges, it’s programs like Denver Digs Trees that give Denverites a little control over their immediate environment. Planting a tree is a tangible, dirt-under-the-nails way to take action now that will cool the home, shade the street, and provide beauty and joy for generations.

Trees help mitigate climate change, capture and clean stormwater, filter air pollutants, moderate urban heat, and reduce energy use. They are essential components of a healthy city, from the upper reaches of their limbs scraping the sky to the expanse of their roots hugging the soil. Each tree is an integral part of the larger urban forest, working in concert to combat the urban heat island effect and create a safer, more walkable Denver.

While trees can often cost $150 or more, The Park People believe that cost should not be a barrier to tree ownership. Through our Denver Digs Trees program, all Denver residents have access to free and low-cost trees. Trees are priced between $10 and $35, with anyone able to request a tree for free if cost is an issue. Anyone is welcome to apply, so long as the tree will be planted within Denver city and county limits, regardless of whether it is for a home, rental, business, church, or school. Applications are available in January for pick-up and planting in April. Click here for details, tree pictures and descriptions, and the link to apply.