COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Thousands of years of Colorado Springs’ history is going to come tumbling down.
The Gazette reports the city is going to start chopping down trees, most more than a century old. The trees in downtown medians are dead or dying from drought or drought-related diseases.
Colorado Springs officials say the trees are safety hazards because they can be toppled by high winds and attract bark beetles.
The trees are elm, ash, silver maple, white fir, spruce and pines. Most were planted 100 to 120 years ago to replace cottonwoods planted by city founder Gen. William Jackson Palmer.
The city watered the trees in the medians until water restrictions imposed during the drought in 2002 and halted watering again due to tight budgets.
Removal of the trees will start next week.
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Information from: The Gazette,
