Who We Are
About Us
The Mile High Million
During the 2006 annual State of the City address, Mayor John Hickenlooper announced an ambitious tree planting program with a goal of adding one million new trees in metropolitan Denver by the year 2025. The initiative aims to engage and motivate individuals to become life-long stewards of our natural environment through planting and caring for trees. The end result will be a healthier and more extensive urban forest, creating more inviting places to live, work and play.
This 60-year-old Bur Oak tree in Civic Center Park exemplifies the majesty of this former native, which thrived on Colorado’s plains during the last ice age. When temperatures warmed, the species migrated north; however, it remains well-adapted to our present day climate. Credit: Jim Myer, Denver Forestry.
A Community Effort
As an initiative of Greenprint Denver, The Mile High Million brings the vision of a sustainable community directly into our neighborhoods and public spaces- aiming to foster community stewardship among individual citizens, neighborhood organizations, schools, nonprofits and businesses by supporting the planting of trees. The initiative is dedicated to creating partnerships and sponsoring work that helps connect people with nature and to each other.
To enhance and sustain the health of our urban forest is to restore and preserve the sense of place unique to our community spaces.
Why Trees?
Trees are a gateway to creating sustainable communities. They clean our air, produce oxygen and beautify our neighborhoods. Trees provide natural cooling to buildings and pavement, resulting in lower energy bills and increased longevity of street surfaces. Trees yield additional economic benefits such as enhanced real estate values, higher sales in business districts and increased productivity among employees. Research even links trees to important social benefits such as reduced crime, higher test scores, and faster hospital recovery times.
Join Us!
Each one of us can make a difference in our community by investing in its future. Every tree planted contributes toward The Mile High Million goal of one million new trees in the Denver metropolitan region by 2025. The public is encouraged to participate by planting trees and/or volunteering time to local tree planting and stewardship efforts.
Be One in a Million by planting a tree today, then make your tree count by registering it toward The Mile High Million!
