Trees in the Estes Valley

Pine cone buds of a Ponderosa Pine tree.

Photos and text by Rachel Ames, EVWC Board Member

Happy Earth Day!  The Estes Valley Watershed Coalition is celebrating Earth Day this year by honoring trees.  Healthy forests are what make this area vibrant and resilient.  It is hard to imagine how trees can thrive during the valley’s harsh winters and short summers, but the trees that live here are as resourceful as the residents.  So, what trees call the Estes Valley home?  Here is a listing of the more common trees in the area.

The Ponderosa Pine tree is the most ubiquitous tree of the Estes Valley.  It thrives in semi-arid, montane climates by spreading out.  It defends itself from fire by self-pruning its lower branches and sealing its delicate inner structures with a thick vanilla-smelling bark.  The Abert squirrel lives exclusively amongst these trees and Pygmy Nuthatches thrive in their forests.

Summers are short enough in the Estes Valley that few deciduous trees can gather enough energy to make a new set of leaves every year.  Narrow-leaf Cottonwood (Willow-Leaved Poplar) and the Quaking Aspen trees are masters of this and both produce stunning fall foliage as well.  The narrow-leaf Cottonwood is a relative of the willow and has numerous narrow leaves.  It requires lots of water and full sun so that it can withstand the short growing season. The Quaking Aspens store much of their energy in an elaborate underground root system (a grove of aspens is often “one” organism) and can thrive on rocky slopes, high in the mountains, and in a variety of habitats.  Since the wood of Aspen trees is relatively soft, cavity nesting birds often make their homes inside of their trunks.  Insects thrive on the tender leaves of deciduous trees and thus create a protein-rich diet for dozens of migrating bird species each summer.

Cones of a Douglas-fir

Travel a little higher into the mountains and there are a variety of coniferous trees that have each staked out their place in the forest.  Douglas-fir, Subalpine Fir, Engelman Spruce, Lodgepole Pine, Limber Pine and Bristlecone Pine trees have each adapted to their environment in such a way that they can thrive in the high country.  Lodgepole pines grow quickly after a fire, have adapted to poor nutrient soils and tolerate a tight knit community for protection from the elements.   Douglas-fir (not a real fir since their cones hang down), Subalpine Fir, and Engelman Spruce trees do best in protected and moist areas so that they are sheltered from strong winds and dry conditions.  Limber Pines have long tap-roots so that they can survive in drier conditions.  Limber Pines are a favorite of the Clark’s Nutcracker and rely on them for seed dispersal. Bristlecone Pine trees are slow growing and hearty even on windswept slopes along the edge of the tundra. When exposed to strong winds, Bristlecone Pine, Engelman Spruce, Limber Pine and even Lodgepole Pine trees become stunted and twisted Krummholz trees.  

Of course, no tree summary of the Estes Valley can leave out the Rocky Mountain Juniper tree. While this tree often looks more like a bush, it is non-the-less classified as a tree and provides food and shelter for numerous birds including the Townsend’s Solitaire, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Wild Turkey and other animals such as deer, elk and bighorn sheep.

So, the next time you encounter a tree, stop for a minute and admire its ability to stay grounded in this ever-changing world. As John Muir wrote, “Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.

Lodgepole Pine forest