DenverInfill Blog

In case you missed it, Matt P. posted an articulate comment about Downtown trees in my Portland, Part 1 post (http://www.denverinfill.com/blog/2007/08/downtown-portland-perspectives-part-1.html)
 

I so agree. I took a two hour walk downtown the other evening and you're so right. I stepped over several broken stumps of trees along the sidewalk and just muttered to myself angrily. It really doesn't take much to grow a tree: a little fertilizer now and again and a good supply of water. Why can't there be as part of parks and maintenance duties a truck that carts around a big vat of water (i've seen these I believe theyre used on construction sites) and go from tree to tree watering and fertilizing when needed. This doesn't have to be a huge area...just the CBD proper. Hell, give me he equipment and I'd do it!! There's nothing more pleasant than strolling down a street with a healthy tree above you shading you from the elements. That's why I find the small park at 17th and Court so appealing. The trees are mature and placed just within the right width apart to make for a wonderful shady and cozy experience. Thank you Ken for posting these pictures!
 

please dont forget important issues like who will clean the fall leaves? or in another winter of great blizzards the trees will break, will we replace them every year? what about car damage etc. another quick question where are all the people at in dt portland? I see very few in these photos. It does not look as vibrant as dt denver.
 

It was a Saturday and Sunday. There were lots of people walking around, but unlike in Denver where the majority of pedestrians are concentrated along the Mall, in Portland, they're spread out along many streets.

You're right...pruning damaged trees, etc. is an important part of good maintenance.
 

DT Den needs more variety too. Not every tree planted downtown needs to be a skyline honeylocust. I see the point, easy to maintain all year round and don't grow too tall. Still planting the same thing makes a dull tree environment, I'd almost rather have none than just one variety.

The good thing is in the last few years, they've planted more mature trees and more of the cylindrical (cant spell in the am) shady maple types.

Seeing those pictures of Portlands trees and how healthy makes me green with envy.
 

Off this subject, but hope everyone can pick up a copy of Westword's piece on Block 162 and our boy Ken's role (props to us, too) in attracting public and government attention to what was (or not) going on there.
Wish Evan could have talked about the negotiations he had with Dikeou and Cook families. Had to be amazing. Sobering stat: Dikeous still own 250,000 square feet of parking lots and you know those lots won't be developed for decades to come.....
Still, good to see all those construction cranes downtown and to see parking lot at 18th and Blake roped off. Sooner or later......
 

I am reading a lot of comments in the Part 1 and Part 2 of your posts, but no one seems to have mentioned the WATER ISSUE.

If my understanding is correct, trees require a lot of water to grow be as lush and beautiful as we all want them to be. Does anybody know if that's true? Given that Denver is located in what is essentially a prairie desert, does it make sense for us to direct so much precious resources into making the city look like a city on the humid East Coast (or Oregon)?

Is there a way for us to celebrate the LOCAL climate, rather than forcing a preconceived notion of what a city should look like on Denver?

I love trees, and enjoy them everyday in City Park (which has some fantastic trees!) but I can't help but wonder at what cost.
 

So this is completely off topic, but i just got an email inviting me to come tour the site for the new "Mondrian" tower in dwntwn Denver. 14 floor contemporary at 1800 Glenarm, selling each floor as a private residence. The email was accompanied by about 6 renderings. Anyone have any info on this? I'm wondering why the hell i've never heard about it bfore.
 

Amen to the post above... Denver's climate simply does not appeal to the same variety of trees found in coastal cities. Yes, Denver does have nice trees (which are not native), but not in the center of pure concrete as you find downtown.

It would be nice to plant some native plants around the city, and create more "green gardens" or those that don't require water!

Here's a thought, what about my coniferous trees? They would green up the city in a heart beat, and would stay green all year! Also, we wouldn't have the worry listed above about broken limbs from snow storms as they are built for such weather. It would also be unique...

Also, what IS being done to widen the sidewalks and narrow the streets downtown? I hear a lot of talk about it, I hear people say the "new plan" is to make it more pedestrian friendly... but I don't see it HAPPENING. Maybe we should worry about narrowing the streets first... then there will be somewhere to PUT trees, somewhere to WALK, and and overall appeal that Denver is missing with 5 lane streets in the heart of the city.

Maybe with wider sidewalks, more trees.. we could also encourage more awnings... something I think is nice for urban stores to do.

Sorry for spewing forth... but a lot of thoughts that have been on my mind as I read through these posts and comments...

Ken - keep up the great work. Enjoy reading your blog everyday.
 

I will be moving to Denver soon, so I hope you don't mind some input from someone out of state. In Richmond, VA the City arborist, has worked with civic associations on this matter. Many neighborhood associations have a "tree person." That person coordinates efforts to inventory every tree in participating neighborhoods and city parks; the City provides GPS images to ensure each block is done; alley trees are included. Volunteers undergo 4 hours of training; (I think in our neighborhood the Universtiy provided students to get credit.) Neighborhoods raise the $ for trees and the City then purchases and plants them (usually 1.5" diameter/10' tall). It has worked very well. Trees felled by hurricanes/tropical storms/ice storms are replaced within months. Sick trees and stumps are removed. Various trees are used to prevent disease and provide visual variety in the harsh urban environment and our summer droughts and heat.
 

As someone who has successfully planted several trees; the water required for a new tree is pretty minimal. My water bill put me in the lowest 10% for water intake. We aren't talking about a lawn here. We are talking about watering about 1/mo once. The potential benefits of cooling that trees perform imo highly outweighs the water cost/usage.