ARVADA —Eleven years ago, long-time residents Jean and Jim Scharfenberg started to encourage folks to beautify their yards and add some shade.
The nonprofit program offers a once-a-year opportunity to purchase from a selection of low-cost trees more suitable to the region’s drought environment than many of the Eastern varieties commonly found along the Front Range.
And now there is another reason to plant a variety of tree species: the emerald ash borer, a metallic green beetle that has killed tens of millions of ash trees since arriving from Asia in the 1990s.
and Front Range arborists say it’s only a matter of time before the insect arrives in other towns. Tree experts say having a wide selection of tree species helps negate some of the devastating impacts of having large swaths of a single species wiped out.
“For a long time and for all the right reasons, the ash tree was the perfect species for Colorado,” said Gordon Reusink, Arvada director of Parks, Golf and Hospitality. ” , this is just a perfect time for citizens to look at the type of trees they have, and at a very low cost, make changes to their part of the urban forest.”
There have always been many reasons to plant a tree: shade, reduced energy bills, wildlife habitat, oxygen production, increased property values and flood mitigation, to name a few. The Scharfenbergs have helped bring in more than 3,000 trees.
Trees Across Arvada “is a great source for good, healthy trees at a moderate price,” Jean Scharfenberg said. “I think everyone wants to make their yards and neighborhoods look beautiful, and this is a way to accomplish that.”
The Scharfenbergs — both past retirement age — have long volunteered in Arvada programs and decided to partner with the city and the Colorado Tree Coalition in 2003 to bring low-cost trees to the area, which are shipped in from an Oregon nursery.
This year, 12 species of trees are available at a cost of between $30 and $55, which can be significantly less than nursery prices. , and the trees are delivered mid-April at .
Homeowners associations, cities like Boulder and Arvada and residents have all purchased trees, Jim Scharfenberg said, and the city offers residents free mulch during pick-up.
“We send out mailers specific to each tree that shows them the proper way to plant it, and we have a master gardener who will answer any questions,” he added.
There are many factors to look at when deciding which tree species to plant: height, width, if it does better in the shade or sun, if it’ll be close to a house or road, fall colors and whether or not it produces fruit.
“The ideal community forest has diversity in both terms of species and terms of the ages of the trees they have,” said David Flaig, Colorado Tree Coalition president. “I would strongly encourage people, if you’re going to plant three trees in your yard, plant three different species.”
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com or twitter.com/abriggs
Trees across arvada
Info: arvadatrees@comcast .net or 303-421-3206
