Planting Trees for the Future Climate

When most people choose a tree, they pick what looks beautiful today. But what makes a tree thrive today isn’t always what will help it survive 20–50 years from now. Trees are long-term investments—they’ll be living in a different climate than the one you plant them in. As a certified arborist working in Colorado, I’ve seen firsthand how climate patterns are shifting and how that affects the trees in our neighborhoods. With a little planning, we can choose trees that will handle tomorrow’s climate, not yesterday’s.

Why Climate Matters When Planting Trees

Trees are slow growers. The shade you want in 5 years will become your biggest tree in 30 years. And in 30 years, Colorado will likely be:

• Hotter overall
• Drier in summer
• Marked by longer drought cycles
• More exposed to late frosts and early heatwaves
• Facing more extreme weather swings
• Supporting different pest and disease pressures

That means a tree that’s “perfect” today may struggle in the future if it needs more water or cooler conditions than our environment can provide.

Planting with foresight reduces:
• water use
• maintenance costs
• pest vulnerability
• storm damage risk
• and future removal expenses

What Climate Changes Are We Already Seeing?

Homeowners don’t need a scientific report—your yard has probably shown signs already:

• Trees struggling during long, dry fall seasons
• Increased winter dieback on certain species
• More insect pressure (borers, scale, mites, beetles)
• Iron chlorosis on trees stressed by alkaline soils + drought
• Frost damage in late spring after early warmups
• Heat stress on shallow-rooted species

Not all species handle these stresses equally.

Characteristics of Future-Resilient Trees

Instead of thinking only about species, think about traits. Trees that are likely to do well in Colorado’s evolving climate often share certain characteristics:

1. Deep or Wide Root Systems

Trees that can reach lower soil moisture survive drought cycles better.

2. Tolerance for Alkaline Soils

Colorado soils are often high pH—trees that struggle with iron uptake decline faster under stress.

3. Heat & Drought Tolerance

Look for species from:

• Great Plains,
• central U.S.,
• similar semi-arid climates

4. Strong Branch Structure

Extreme wind events are becoming more common—trees with strong, well-spaced limbs are safer long-term.

5. Pest Resistance

Monocultures have made pests like Emerald Ash Borer devastating. Diversity is our best protection.

What Types of Trees Will Struggle More?

Some trees are already showing stress in hotter, drier conditions:

• Paper birch
• Quaking aspen (outside of foothills/mountains)
• Blue spruce (in low elevations)
• Sensitive maples (Norway, autumn blaze in alkaline soils)
• Some fruit trees planted without soil preparation
• Eastern species transplanted into compacted clay soils

These trees evolved in cooler, moister climates.

What Types of Trees Tend to Perform Well?

Trees adapted to:

• Colorado’s prairie history, or
• similar arid climates
…are often naturally better suited for the next 50 years.

These include species with:

• lower water needs
• deeper roots
• tolerance to heat and alkaline soils

Depending on your exact location, examples may include:

Hardier Shade Trees

• Bur oak
• Chinkapin oak
• Shumard oak
• Kentucky coffeetree
• Hackberry
• Honeylocust
• Elm hybrids (DED-resistant)

Large Accent Trees

• Catalpa
• Osage orange (thornless varieties)
• Ohio buckeye (site-dependent)

Medium Ornamental Trees

• Serviceberry
• Hawthorn
• Japanese tree lilac
• Bigtooth maple (site-specific)

Some Evergreens (With Careful Siting)

• Pinyon pine
• Bosnian pine
• Limber pine
• Southwestern white pine

Note: Even drought-tolerant trees still need proper watering while young.

Soil Health Is Climate Resilience

Choosing the right tree is only half the equation. The other half is soil.

Healthy soil:

• stores carbon
• holds water longer
• insulates roots from temperature swings
• supports beneficial fungi and microbes that help trees access nutrients

In a hotter, drier climate, soil becomes a tree’s savings account.

As arborists, we recommend:

• wood chip mulch, not rock near the trunk,
• compost topdressing over time (not mixed deep in the planting hole),
• avoiding soil compaction during landscaping,
• watering deeply and infrequently,
• protecting the root flare from being buried.

Trees with healthy root systems are far better at handling future extremes.

Diversity Is Your Insurance Policy

Colorado learned a hard lesson with Emerald Ash Borer—planting millions of trees of the same species creates vulnerability.

Now the lesson needs to be applied more broadly:

• Don’t plant a yard full of maples.
• Don’t line a street with a single species.
• Don’t choose what your neighbor has just because it “looks nice.”

A diverse urban forest:

• resists pests
• adapts to change
• and protects property values

When planting, think:
“What will make this community stronger, not just my yard?”

Think About Placement, Not Just Species

With increased heat:

• Trees planted on the southwest side of a house take more stress.
• Narrow planting strips next to pavement become heat traps.
• Rock mulch can raise soil temps dramatically.
• Trees planted too deep are the first to fail under drought.

Future-focused planting includes smart placement:

• Give roots space,
• Avoid heat-reflective materials,
• Provide mulch,
• Keep grass away from the trunk,
• Water deeply while young.

Pest Pressure Will Shift—Be Ready

Warmer winters and hotter summers change insect timing and survival. Expect:

• beetle pressures on stressed conifers,
• scale insects on maples and lindens,
• mites on drought-stressed evergreens,
• borers on newly planted trees in compacted soil.

Healthy, well-chosen trees are less attractive targets.

Your Tree Will Live in a Different Climate Than You Do

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

If you plant a tree today, your grandchildren might enjoy its shade. That tree will experience:

• 30–60 summers,
• thousands of freeze-thaw cycles,
• multiple droughts,
• intense storms,
• changing moisture patterns.

Plant something that can meet that challenge.

Final Tips for Planting the Future

When choosing a tree:

• Start with soil first, not the nursery catalog.
• Pick traits, then species.
• Think in decades, not seasons.
• Focus on diversity, not just beauty.
• Water deeply while young, then encourage resilience.
• Support root health to support the whole tree.

If you’re unsure where to start, talk to a certified arborist—not just a garden center. A tree expert can help you:

• evaluate your site,
• choose species for your soil,
• avoid risky choices,
• and make a plan for long-term care.

Planting the right tree, the right way, today is a gift to the future.