T: Tree City

Fort Collins is a Tree City, USA, and although I've seen the Tree City signs for years, I really had no idea what the designation signified--other than the fact that we have...well, a lot of trees. So I did some research and found out that Tree City is a program co-sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, the USDA Forest Service, and the National Association of State Foresters. To qualify as a Tree City, a community must have the following: a tree board or department; a tree care ordinance; a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita; and an Arbor Day observance or proclamation. (Arbor Day is this Friday, April 27.) Fort Collins has made the grade for 32 years.

The Fort Collins Forestry Department maintains the more than 40,000 trees on city property. This job includes, among other things, pruning, planting, removal, insect and disease identification and control, and a Memorial Tree program. They also put together maps for self-guided tours of the 233 tree varieties in City Park and the Notable Trees around town. The latter is compiled in conjunction with the Colorado Tree Coalition, which maintains a list of our state's champion trees. 

I also learned that Fort Collins is home to the state's largest Red, White, and (Thomsen) Blue Spruces, which makes me feel downright patriotic.