GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado (KKCO) – The City of Grand Junction continues to care for the city’s ash trees.

Currently, the city maintains 1,150 ash trees along streets and in parks through trunk injections. About 20% of the trees in Grand Junction are ash, which are seriously threatened by drought and various insects such as the lilac ash beetle and the ash bark beetle.

Community concern over the amount of dead and dying ash trees has prompted the City and Forestry Commission to intensify tree care through the end of 2024 with additional assistance from a local licensed tree care company.

The city forester has identified more than 175 ash trees in poor condition that will be removed or pruned this year. The forestry department will plant more than 100 new trees this fall, with several hundred planned for spring 2025, to stem ash tree loss this year.

Citizens who wish to directly support the city’s efforts can get involved in two ways:

• All Grand Junction residents can plant street trees for free if they have space on public rights-of-way and agree to water the trees to keep them healthy. Property owners interested in this program can request a new tree by completing a Street Tree Planting Request Form.
• Ash tree owners who live within the city limits are eligible for a cost-share program for treating ash trees called the Root for Our Trees program. The city will pay half the cost of treating these private ash trees. Residents who would like to sign up or for more information can visit the city’s Root for our Trees website.

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