LOVELAND, Colo. — People in Loveland looking for more greenery in their lives still have the chance to weigh in on building out the city's tree canopy.
The program is called “Growing Loveland.”
Property owners with city easements adjacent to their property can apply to have trees planted in that area. These are areas typically between the sidewalk and street.
“Application process runs year-round,” said Jeff Caputo, the urban forester with the City of Loveland. “Anyone that meets our qualifications can apply. We'll add them to our list, and we will be doing, you know, robust planting, both in the spring and fall, and work with everyone that we can to try and make sure we're getting trees and in good locations.”
Once submitted, the forestry staff will find the most suitable tree for that area, which includes trees that are meant for the Loveland environment. The city will provide and plant the tree at no cost to the property owner. In return, the property owner is asked to take care of the tree during the critical establishment phase.
“We have a specific list of trees that meet the requirements for this program, and all these trees are best suited to, you know, kind of the harsh urban environment that they'll be planted in. We think that's really important,” added Caputo.
The city is planning to plant anywhere from 100 to 150 trees, starting this spring. Caputo said there is an environmental benefit to it as well.
“Trees provide so many benefits beyond shade, you know, cooling and property value. So there's a lot of reasons why we want to make sure that people are trying to get on board with us and get these trees planted,” he said.
"The population of trees here in Loveland in some ways, lacks diversity, both in terms of species and age," added Caputo. "We also have some emerging pests with emerald ash borer and other things. So we're really trying to stay ahead of things and get as many trees planted in advance that as we can."
There is more information online or you can call the Forestry team at 970-962-3625.
The "Growing Loveland" program redirects existing funding from the city’s annual forestry efforts.
