Much has altered in El Paso County over the last couple a century. A huge city grew up where none was previously, and people planted trees in what was formerly mostly a grassy field setting.Trees have a critical function in the metropolitan environment. One of the primary benefits is supplying shade. With all the concrete and asphalt, metropolitan areas develop significantly more heat than surrounding locations, called an”metropolitan heat island impact.”This impact is worsened by increasing summer season temperatures and prolonged heat waves, making the shade of trees increasingly important. Trees lower surface area and air temperature levels through shade as well as evapotranspiration. Shaded surfaces may be 20 to 45 degrees cooler than the peak temperatures of unshaded materials.Collectively, what we plant in our yards can make a big difference tincooling the city or your community. Believe how much more pleasant it is to walk along a dubious street than one blasted by the sun.Urban trees likewise add to cleaning our air, filtering our water, controlling storm water, providing habitat for birds and other wildlife and increasing home
values.However, it’s difficult being a tree in Colorado, so we need to make certain that we do whatever we can to maintain fully grown trees that we do have in addition to planting new ones. People typically do not water fully grown trees, believing that they don’t require it, however as the environment warms, trees are progressively under stress. Apply 1 to 2 inches of water every 2 weeks in the growing season out to the drip line, and once a month in the winter season if we don’t get snow. Sprinklers are the most convenient approach, but there are other alternatives: https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/657.pdf.Ideally, we would have a variety of trees in the metropolitan forest so that if diseases or insects break out (just like the emerald ash borer, which has yet to be detected in the county ), we don’t lose a significant number of trees. So browse your area, and plant something various than what you see. Some great tree choices include hackberry, Kentucky coffee tree, catalpa, hawthorns, Texas red oak and crabapples.It is more effective to plant in the lawn(however not necessarily in the yard)instead of a parking strip narrower than 5 feet broad, because it is tough to appropriately water such a narrow location, and the roots might not have sufficient room. If you plant a tree in the parking strip, make sure it is on the approved street tree list, https://coloradosprings.gov/sites/default/files/approved_street_tree_list_09_2019.pdf, and take overhead powerlines into account.Fall is a great time to plant trees, so get out there and contribute to our city forest.Submit gardening questions to [email protected] or call 719-520-7684. Discover us on Facebook at Colorado Master Gardeners-El Paso County. Send gardening concerns to [email protected] or call 719-520-7684. Discover us on Facebook at Colorado Master Gardeners-El Paso County.