September 9, 2022 – Five people and two trucks took a mere 8 hours to remove 30 cottonwood trees lining the entry at Colorado Youth Outdoors.
To our friends and clients who have always felt immediate calm upon driving through the CYO gate: we owe you an explanation.
Asplundh Tree Removal made quick work of the sort-of dead, mostly dead & all-dead trees.
To the best of our knowledge, the cottonwoods were planted along the dirt road in the mid 1990s. 30+ years later, they weren’t thriving. Cottonwoods can live 70 to 100 years, so this news was a bummer.
There are taller cottonwoods on our property doing great. “I have some guesses on why this row of trees was struggling, but the reality is that we don’t know for sure,” said Rob Anderson, CYO’s Facilities Manager.
It is shocking to expect a tree-shaded hug upon arrival — and instead find oneself in a dusty beat-down of sun. Violent, even.
Fortunately, our story doesn’t end here.
CYO has purchased 19 Shumard oaks (red oak variety) and 19 Burr oaks (white oak variety) to replace the cottonwoods.
Oak trees have long been a symbol of wisdom, strength and endurance. Oaks were worshipped by Ancient Druids in England; the oak reaches to heaven, yet roots in the underworld. Oak trees withstand draught, wind, and lightning. Druids, Slavs, and Native Americans settled disputes under oak trees. They believed the wisdom of the tree provided a fair solution without bloodshed.
Well, if it’s good enough for the Druids . . . .
Anderson is expecting these trees to last longer than all of us — 100 to 200 years. The soil has been analyzed, a drip system installed, wide & deep holes dug. Each tree will grow in improved topsoil for the next 2 years before the roots reach the natural clay of our ground.
“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb (and probably your neighbor)
Oak tree growth is slow the first 2 years, but once the taproot starts traveling downward, tree height takes off. On our trees’ 3rd year, expect 1-2 feet of growth each year for 10 years. At 20 years, each tree will be between 40 to 60 feet tall. 30 years old, they’ve reached maturity. But unlike humans, they’ve still got 70 to 200 good years ahead of them.
Godspeed, Oak Trees!
Special thanks to the following groups for helping with this project:
Asplundh Tree Service – cutting down trees
Xcel Energy – setting up Asplundh with CYO
Chevron – provided ‘human energy’ make wood into wood chips, dug new holes
“He who plants a tree, plants a hope.” – Lucy Larcom
* Title sound familiar? It was borrowed from a book title: As An Oak Tree Grows by G. Brian Karas