Help grow your neighborhood with a free tree from Denver's Office of the City Forrester.
Have you driven around Denver lately and thought, "wow, there really aren't enough trees around here," to yourself? Well, now you have a chance to do something about it! You can now apply for a free tree to be planted in your public right-of-way.The Free Tree Giveaway program is part of the "Be A Smart Ash" campaign from the City of Denver. The initiative aims to help Denver grow its urban canopy. According to Denver Parks & Rec., this diversity has the potential to protect Denver's trees from pests, such as the emerald ash borer (EAB), which was discovered in Boulder in 2013 and in Longmont just last summer.
While EAB has not yet made its way to Denver, considering it has already killed millions of ash trees in more than 25 states, Denver's Office of the City Forester wants to take preventative measures to protect the Denver Metro area's 1.45 million ash trees.
If Denver residents are interested in applying for a free tree, they must have appropriate space in their right-of-way. "Appropriate space" entails:
- 30 feet from outside edge of intersecting curbs for sight triangle
- 35 feet from large shade trees
- 25 feet from ornamental trees
- 20 feet from street lights
- 20 feet from stop signs
- 10 feet from alleys, driveways, and fire hydrants
- 7 feet behind attached sidewalks
- 5 feet from water meters/pits
- Centered within tree laws/planters
