Anyone who knows me knows I like plants (and pollinators!). Garden plants, flowers, trees, all of it. So when I was asked to help photograph the spring planting for Rooted in Cheyenne, I didn't hesitate to say yes! Janelle Rose Photography, my partner in all things wedding related, is now one of the sponsors for this amazing program.

The purpose of the Rooted in Cheyenne program is to help replace aging and dying trees in the urban canopy. Like many places in the country, Cheyenne is seeing its trees die due to age, weather events, as well as disease.

Application Process

My family participated in the first planting in fall 2017. I applied for a tree through the Rooted in Cheyenne website. After approval, I paid my $50 and picked out a tree from their list of available trees. We went with a linden! Our tree was planted by volunteers in late September, and was watered monthly for the next year. Note: the program does require the trees be planted in the city right-of-way ( see the application page for more information).

The program has grown by leaps and bounds. Thanks to donations, No Cost Trees are available on a first-come, first-serve basis for those who qualify based on income guidelines. And while they had a record number of volunteers for the planting, they're always in need of volunteers to help with the monthly waterings. Since the watering is a year-long commitment, they're watering 200 trees a month, all over the city!

Post-Planting Beers for Volunteers!

After the planting, a fundraiser/volunteer recognition event was held at Danielmark's Brewing Company. If you aren't able to volunteer for a planting, I recommend you at least attend the post-planting fundraiser for the tree auction! Still kicking myself for not trying to get the honey locust...

For more information on the program, head to the Rooted in Cheyenne website. They're already taking applications for the fall planting! Do your part to keep Cheyenne's urban canopy growing.