More Trees for Alamosa: Arbor Week 2015

Carroll and Diamond Park each have two new trees which were planted during Alamosa Arbor Week. Alamosa is celebrating being a Tree City USA for 25 years.  14 more trees will be planted in Alamosa parks, the cemetery, and along Main Street this spring.

The Alamosa Department of Parks and Recreation (ADP&R) and the Alamosa Tree Board (ATB) received a $2,000 grant from the Colorado Tree Coalition for their Alamosa Public Tree Inventory and Plantings project. The trees in Alamosa parks and the cemetery have been inventoried allowing tree planting locations to be prioritized. Using the ATB recommended tree list (visit AlamosaTrees.net), appropriate tree species were selected for each location.

diamond park

Above: Backfilling the hole that is twice as wide as the root ball to plant a willow at Diamond Park. Left to right: Karyl Scarlett (ATB), Lucy Adams, Audrey Liu (ATB), Emma Shook, Tom Scarlett, and Ron Loser.

Right: Mothers and daughters. Audrey Liu (Tree Board), Nandi Strieker, Christine Strieker, and Shasta Liu dig almost frozen soil to plant a Boxelder Sensation Maple in Carroll Park.

For example, two Golden Weeping Willow trees were planted near the playground in Diamond Park where water tends to run down a hill, keeping the ground too wet for most species. This species tolerates deer and wet soil.

Citizens and ADP&R personnel planted a Boxelder Sensation Maple and a Narrowleaf Popular just east of the Carroll Park parking lot across from the high school as families laden with lawn chairs and blankets streamed in to watch Saturday’s soccer games.

The inventory includes the location, species, and condition of trees in Alamosa parks and the cemetery. Street trees, generally those between the sidewalk and curb, also will be inventoried.

carroll park

 

With continuing drought conditions, rising water prices in Alamosa, and climate change, this project will empower Alamosans to avoid the barren “Zero-scape” housing look which is becoming all too frequent in the area. Western Hackberry and Shademaster Honeylocust are among the other trees that will be planted. Each tree will have an ID Plaque identifying the species, year planted, and funding source. This way, citizens can see which trees thrive in our environment.

Above: Ryan Shook discovers earthworms are alive and well in Diamond Park.

Shade trees for the Diamond Park playground. Left to right: Heinz Bergann (ADP&R Director), Diana Jones, Lucy Adams, Angela Shook, Ryan Shook, Karyl Scarlett (ATB), Soloman Archuleta (ADP&R), Marilyn Loser (ATB), Emma Shook (front), Dennis deHerrera (ADP&R), Audrey Liu(ATB), Shasta Liu (front), and Jeremy Arellano (ADP&R).

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