Rooted in Cheyenne Spring 2020

Every so often, Cheyenne surprises me. Raised to have a deep appreciation for plants and trees, I usually find myself on the losing side. But with Rooted in Cheyenne, I seem to have found my people.

Like everything else in our messed up world, the spring planting on May 16th was different than in years past. Crews arrived every 30 minutes to pick up their trees, with only 2-3 people on a planting crew. Most volunteers drove their own vehicles. An incredibly generous local donated cloth masks, which volunteers were able to pick up when they arrived, along with breakfast from Chick-fil-a and lunch from Church’s Chicken.

I spent the day following the Laramie County Conservation District planting crew. One of the crew members went ahead of the planters, digging the holes at each location. In total, 100 trees were planted, with 10 additional trees to be planted at CRMC and local assisted living centers.

While at times a chilly and windy day, it was so wonderful to get out into the community and see residents excited about their trees. At the last house we stopped at, the homeowners were getting two trees because their neighbors had received two trees LAST spring, and they’d been so impressed with the program. They’re in the process of convincing the neighbor across the street to jump on board!

With the future of everything so uncertain, I really, really hope this program can continue. I’m watching spruce after spruce come down around town thanks to the ips beetle, waiting for the ash borer to make its way northward from Colorado – I’m hoping there are trees waiting in the wings to replace the city canopy we know and love.

Rooted in Cheyenne tree pickup
Rooted in Cheyenne hat near saplings
Volunteers moving trees to trailer.
Loading trees in trailer
Volunteer moving trees around trailer
Laramie County Conservation District truck arriving to pick up trees.
Loading buckets of mulch into the back of a pickup
City of Cheyenne Urban Forestry Division
Moving tree to planting area
Filling in holes for trees
Volunteers planting trees
Filling in hole around tree
Child running down stairs

For the most up-to-date information on the program, head to Rooted in Cheyenne’s application page. Trees must be planted in the right-of-way, but for $50 you’ll receive a tree, planted and watered by volunteers for a year. For reference, I purchased a cottonwood the same size as the ones Rooted in Cheyenne planted this spring, and paid almost $300 for just the tree!

If you aren’t sure you have a space that qualifies, get in touch with the Rooted in Cheyenne staff and they’ll help get you sorted. If you aren’t able to plant a tree, do your what you can to support one of Cheyenne’s best programs!