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In Denver, trees lean on 'neighbors' for support

By Carol O'Meara, Special to the Rocky

Published June 27, 2008 at 3 p.m.

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The struggle to keep Denver's citizens cool is a big job. So big, in fact, that City Council long ago asked the people to step up and help care for trees planted here to shade them from heat.

Most did, and for the past century, the city has served as an example of the rare partnership that can grow between trees and the people who live next to them.

Not many cities in the United States ask adjacent property owners to care for city trees. In Denver, the requirement placing a tree's care on its neighbor was traced back to 1906 by city staff, updated in the Vegetation Protection Act of 2001 and recently given teeth for enforcement.

"We looked at one year of notices, and of the 2,100 given, 800 people refused to get the work done," said Pete Zoschg, arborist with Denver Parks and Recreation. "This is something we have to take seriously; we have to keep the rights of way safe."

Denver has 350,000 to 360,000 trees in its boundaries, Zoschg says. To keep up with the trees, the forestry department has six arborists on staff. They check every tree in the city once a year. Ten other staff arborists care for the trees in public parks, along medians and in public areas.

Homeowners will get a forester's notice if a tree is found to need work during its yearly checkup and be allowed a reasonable amount of time to have the work done. Permits - required for any pruning, planting or removal - are free, and financial assistance is available for low-income people.

Those who ignore their notices will be fined $150 the first time a notice is disregarded, $500 the second time and $999 for each notice thereafter.

The place to begin looking for an arborist is the city's forestry department (denvergov.org/forestry), which can provide a list of licensed tree services, Zoschg said. This ensures that citizens get what they pay for and the company knows what it's doing.

"I don't think this will have a huge impact on most of Denver's residents," says Ralph Bronk, owner of Mountain High Tree, Lawn and Landscape, in Lakewood. "This is just common sense - people are being asked to prune off dangerous limbs or remove dead trees that are hazardous and can hurt someone."

Costs for pruning trees can range from $150 to several hundred dollars, says Bronk, a member of the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado.

Bronk offers these tips for hiring the right company once you have a short list of tree services to call:

* Ask for references and call them, or get recommendations from neighbors. Memberships in the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (alcc.com) or the International Society of Arboriculture (isa-arbor.com) are good resources.

* Make certain they're licensed to do business in Denver and have up-to-date insurance.

* Ask them how many years they've been in business.

* Get a written estimate, and be sure to talk about what they're going to do and why.

* Get several quotes, but don't always go for the lowest bid. The harder a job is to accomplish, the more likely it is that the costs will rise.

* Never pay for work upfront.

Keep your trees healthy with Zoschg's suggestions for care:

* Avoid stress by watering it in the summer and winter.

* Select the right tree for the location. Being well-adapted to Colorado isn't enough; size, shape and surrounding objects should be considered.

* Watch for signs that a tree is struggling, such as discolored leaves.

* A tree needs care if there are hollow pockets where animals or bees are nesting, or if it has dead or broken branches.

* For information on tree care, the forester's notice or financial assistance, call 720-913-0651.

Carol O'Meara is a local gardening expert. omearac@yahoo.com