The Durango Botanic Gardens’ sixth annual DurangoScape climate conference began Friday and continued Saturday at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.
This year’s conference – aptly titled “Envisioning a Changing DurangoScape” – is all about forward thinking and long-term planning, said Bill LeMaire, Durango Botanic Gardens board president.
Speakers from La Plata County and the greater Southwest Colorado region participated in the conference.
La Plata County Tree Study Group founder and International Dendrology Society’s Central North America Vice President Jeff Wagner discussed the role of a healthy, diverse canopy in thriving communities Friday evening.
City of Durango Arborist Ben Rieck gave a presentation about the daily realities of managing trees in constrained urban environments Friday night.
Other speakers included: Freddie Haberecht, International Society of Arboriculture-certified Urban Forestry professional for the city of Fort Colins; local bulb guru Mike Smedley; La Plata County CSU Extension Horticulture and Agriculture Production Specialist Heather Houk; and Rob Davis, forester and open space supervisor for the city of Grand Junction.
LeMaire said the Durango Botanic Gardens invited arborists and tree specialists from other cities to see how they are planning ahead for changing climate.
Davis presented at 1 p.m. Satuday about how Grand Junction’s urban forest has changed in a talk titled, “Responding to Growth and Decline of Grand Junction’s Urban Tree Canopy.”
He has 24 years of experience in urban forestry management across Colorado, including in Denver, Greeley, Windsor, Westminster and Grand Junction.
Davis began his lecture and slide show with black and white photos of Grand Junction before it had any urban forest to speak of. He said it wasn’t nature but humans who developed the city’s urban forest over 100 years.
“I know people say, ‘You live in a desert, there shouldn’t be trees.’ But the reality is green infrastructure is what makes cities interesting. It makes them beautiful,” he said. “People don’t go visit a city and say, ‘Did you see their gutters and sidewalks? Parking lots?’ It’s the green part that makes cities where people want to go and visit.”
He said the second ordinance Grand Junction ever passed was a law making it unlawful to damage public trees.
Studies about the impact of urban forests focus on stormwater, air quality and carbon sequestation. But the simple practical benefits – shade, for example – are what resonate with people most, he said.
He showed two photos back-to-back featuring a thermometer and a vehicle parked in the sun and then in the shade on a summer day. The first photo showed the internal temperature of the car parked in the sun was 141 degrees. The second photo of the car in the shade showed an internal temperature of 88.
LeMaire said DurangoScape is focused on conversations about climate change. But it isn’t trying to paint a picture of a doomsday scenario.
“The scenario we’re suggesting is, yes, there are going to be new climate realities and rapid growth, infrastructure growth – but we need to adapt,” he said. “We can still have a beautiful community for us, we can have a great looking city, but we need to think about how to do that.”
He said if Durango wants a thriving urban forest 25 years from now, it needs to act now.
cburney@durangoherald.com
