Colorado Springs To Remove 100 Of City's Oldest Trees

Citing drought conditions and disease, Colorado Springs city officials today announced plans to remove 100 of its oldest trees from downtown medians this summer.

Critics of the plan point to Colorado Springs's recent financial drought, especially the dearth of funds for city parks and watering the medians.

While Colorado Springs reinstated $120,000 for watering the trees this year, both funding and mother nature have been fickle since 2003.

In a press release, the city Forestry Division acknowledged that

The City removes, on average, several hundred trees a year from parks, parkways and medians. This year’s removals, however, will be especially noticeable because of the central locations of these trees. As damage this significant cannot be reversed, there is no alternative to removing the trees. Dead trees left in the ground become hazards that can attract a variety of bark beetles.

Removal will begin June 21 and is expected to last several months. Felled trees will be sold on the city's public surplus auction site, and all trees will be replanted.