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To celebrate Colorado Springs' 150th anniversary and honor the legacy of our city's founder, General William Jackson Palmer, we have set a goal to plant 18,071 trees between now and 2021. When Palmer founded our city in 1871, it was a nearly treeless, arid plain. Palmer changed that by planting thousands of trees. Learn how you can participate in the COS 150 Tree Challenge.
Mission: To manage our urban forest in a healthy, safe, and sustainable state, which maintains our original forest legacy, manages risk, and increases the canopy coverage for shade, stormwater retention and property value.
What we care for: Trees in the urban forest and the native forest of the wildland urban interface, including trees on street right of way and medians, urban parks, trail corridors, open spaces and regional parks.
What we do: Prune, remove, plant, inspect City trees for optimal health of our urban forests.
View our map to see if your tree is on City property. Use the top right search bar to type in an address or cross street. (Be sure to select Aerial view at the bottom left). City trees are those that are in the city right of way outside the red private property lines.
The City of Colorado Springs' City Forestry division is developing an Urban Forest Management Plan.
The City of Colorado Springs’ City Forestry division has released the results of our first-ever urban tree canopy assessment. The assessment closely reviewed aerial imagery from the late 1990s and compared it to imagery from 2016, to provide insight into changes in the city’s tree canopy over time.
City Forestry manages a living infrastructure of approximately 220,000 urban street trees and 20,000 park trees. Understanding the composition, health, and maintenance needs of the urban forest is critical to our operations. Along with the Urban Tree Canopy Assessment, an inventory of all tree assets is being completed as funding allows.
-Arbor Day 2019: 20 Chinkapin oak trees were planted in Memorial Park to eventually provide shade for parents watching their children play sports.
-Old North End Neighborhood 2019: 51 trees (linden, oak, hackberry, Kentucky coffee tree) were planted along the north Nevada medians to replace dying trees that were removed over the last few years. These trees were purchased by North End Woodlands and planted in conjunction with City Forestry.
-Various Parks: Currently, 16 replacement trees are scheduled to be planted in several parks across the city (Frank Houck, Boulder, High Meadows, Keystone, Woodstone, Wilson, and Adams Parks, as well as several others).
City Forestry is responsible for caring for trees located along the street, in the City right of way or parkway area adjacent to private property.
Learn some of the common tree issues and how to handle them.
Contact Phone: (719) 385-5942
Fax: 719-385-6599
Address:
Colorado Springs has been a Tree City USA since 1977 for its excellence in urban forestry management.
Our public mulch is offered free to the public when we generate more than what our parks use. The bin is first-come, first-served, and you will need to bring your own tools for loading. We cannot guarantee that mulch will be available, but our crews do try to keep it filled throughout the year. In order to help provide a consistent supply for our residents, use by commercial operations is prohibited.
Mulch pile is located across the street from the Forestry building on the west side of Recreation Way.
Forestry also sells hardwood through Colorado Springs Utilities public auctions online. Funds help purchase new street trees.
Are you looking for help with Wildfire Mitigation? The Colorado Springs Fire Department has a number of resources to assist homeowners in reducing their wildfire risk.
Firewood and Christmas tree cutting permits are available through the National Forest Service, Pikes Peak Ranger Station(link is external), 601 S. Weber St., 719-636-1602.
