Lone Tree Arbor Day event invites residents to plant 15 trees
Lone Tree’s Arbor Day planting at Eagle Ridge Elementary put 15 trees in the ground Saturday as the city pushed a broader canopy plan for RidgeGate and beyond.
At Eagle Ridge Elementary, 15 new trees became the public face of a much larger city strategy: Lone Tree is trying to build a canopy that can keep pace with growth east of I-25 and south of Lincoln Avenue.
The Arbor Day event at 7716 Timberline Rd., held Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, drew volunteers to the Douglas County School District campus to help plant trees on-site. The city described the event as a way to strengthen the local tree canopy and connect the community to the benefits of urban forestry, but the timing and location also underscored a practical goal: make new development feel established, shaded and more livable as the city adds homes, businesses and streets in RidgeGate.
That neighborhood is at the center of Lone Tree’s long-range growth plans. City planning materials say the largest area of growth over the coming decades will be east of I-25 and south of Lincoln Avenue in the RidgeGate master-planned area, including a 400-acre City Center. Lone Tree Elevated, the city’s updated comprehensive plan, is meant to guide growth and development for the next 20 years and beyond, including parks and open space, economic development and infrastructure.
The tree planting fits inside that framework rather than standing apart from it. Lone Tree says its comprehensive urban forestry program extends the vision laid out in the 2016 City of Lone Tree Strategic Plan, which called for great neighborhoods, vibrant public spaces, a beautiful natural environment and thriving businesses. In that context, Arbor Day is less a one-day celebration than a visible checkpoint in a citywide urban-forest program.
City forestry guidance also makes clear that Lone Tree is thinking about cost and durability, not just appearance. Proper tree and plant selection, installation and ongoing maintenance are described as critical, the city recommends Front Range tree species, and ash trees are prohibited. That matters in a region where tree failure can mean replacement costs for homeowners, parks and streetscapes, and where invasive pests such as emerald ash borer can wipe out poorly planned plantings.
For Lone Tree, the 15 trees at Eagle Ridge Elementary were a small number with a large signal. The city is using a schoolyard planting to show residents where the canopy is headed, and to make sure the next phase of RidgeGate grows with shade, structure and a maintenance plan attached.
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