Digging Deep to Strengthen Denver’s Urban Forest

The Park People’s mission to work with communities to plant trees and improve parks for a healthy, resilient future ensures that all Denver residents have access to the wonderful benefits of parks and trees. To accomplish this necessary and meaningful work, The Park People works with a diverse set of community groups. One of our programs, Mile High Tree Champions, engages local community members in a half-day of tree planting and/or park improvement projects. We’ve brought our champions out to replace trees that have died or been removed, cleaned up litter and trash in parks all around the city, weeded garden beds, and more.

More about Mile High Tree Champions

This initiative encourages businesses of all sizes to become Mile High Tree Champions and invest funding and some good old sweat equity to help enhance Denver’s urban tree canopy and improve Denver’s green infrastructure. For participating companies, crew sizes can range from 15-50 volunteers ready to accomplish good, green work. Participants in the Mile High Tree Champions Program walk away from the experience knowing they have had a direct impact on their local environment and feeling empowered by a unique day of team building with their coworkers. Mile High Tree Champions are organizations that care about the environment and the city’s urban tree canopy.

Mile High Tree Champions Grows

The Park People has hosted over 30 Mile High Tree Champions events over the last ten years. As urban forestry and parks become a more recognized tool for mitigating and addressing climate change impacts, especially the urban heat island effect, this program has grown so much. Our first event was held in 2010, the only Mile High Tree Champions event that year. Now we consistently host 6 to 8 a year! Some of our Mile High Tree Champions groups include Kaiser Permanente, Comcast, Wells Fargo, and Chase Bank. The Abor Day Foundation has also been such a great partner for this program.

Our Partnership with Denver Housing Authority

In addition to park spaces, Mile High Tree Champions also hosts plantings and workdays at Denver Housing Authority properties. The Park People is extremely proud to work with DHA and support their mission: “to develop and provide high-quality, affordable housing with responsive services, enabling people and communities to thrive.” We’ve been able to work alongside communities in Goldsmith Village, Park Side Apartments, and Quigg Newton Homes.

September 17th 2022: Columbine Homes

The Park People is so excited to host a Mile High Tree Champions event Saturday, September 17th! A fun day of planting trees at Columbine Homes, a Denver Housing Authority community in the Valverde neighborhood, was made possible by a sponsorship from AdCellerant and a group of their energetic employees willing to volunteer their time. The shade and fruit trees will grow to cool the community and provide fresh food, benefiting the residents for decades to come.

Interesting in getting involved with Mile High Tree Champions? Fill out this form. Need more information? Contact Morgan Wolfe at morgan@TheParkPeople.org.