If you look at old photos of Colorado Front Range cities, you won’t see many trees. Yet quality of life depends on them. They provide shade, cooler conditions, support birds and bees, create microclimates, and add beauty.

Early settlers planted trees and created systems to bring water from the mountains. At the Eighth Annual Tree Diversity Conference on March 4th, Front Range conditions for growing trees were described as "harsh" — hot summers, cold winters, low rainfall, alkaline soils, strong winds, and a month shorter growing season than the Midwest. Climate models predict worsening conditions.

Large numbers of ash trees, cottonwoods, and weak trees are disappearing, increasing the "heat island effect" as asphalt and concrete absorb and retain sun’s heat where no trees provide shade. Trees also reduce rain compacting and absorb storm water. Higher density building means less room for roots.

These stressful conditions weaken trees, making them more vulnerable to pests and diseases. One obvious solution is to increase tree diversity; with more varieties it’s less likely that large numbers of trees could die because of a pest, disease, drought or other problem. Scott Skogerboe, propagator for Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery, recommends relying more on native trees that provide for native wildlife.

He suggests looking south to Texas, Oklahoma and southern Nebraska for seed sources with a warming climate. His specific recommendations are the hardy Arizona Cypress, the Caddo Maples from Oklahoma (like the John Pair selection), and the hardy hybrid chokecherry "Sucker Punch" which supports wildlife. We should be growing more drought and heat tolerant trees and fewer dependable ash.

With Emerald Ash Borer, we need to plant more trees and more kinds of trees.