In other words, the new forest is partially watering itself by retaining water that would otherwise be lost to evaporation and drainage on the Great Plains. For cities that lie between 5,000 and 6,000 feet in elevation, shade trees also help to cut the intense summer sunlight and help shield against winter winds. The trees also absorb air pollution, store carbon that would otherwise contribute to global warming, cool parked automobiles, and add to market value. So cursory is the planting that some of the trees are dying even as families occupy the new homes. So short are the new trees that not a leaf breaks the angular monotony of gabled roof lines.
Trees become a frill, put off until tomorrow.
American Forests' preliminary CITYgreen analysis suggests the tree canopy cover in many newer Colorado developments is less than 5 percent, says Gary Moll, American Forests' vice president for urban forestry. Boulder's commercial center, Pearl Street, has only 6 percent. In contrast, the canopy coverage in older sections of Front Range cities as a whole averages 20 percent. The cheapest, easiest way we know of to combat this is to use vegetation, and trees are the biggest. The issue is immediate.