Gardens, Parks &  Forestry

Basalt Public Gardens

The Gardens, Parks and Forestry staff share a passion, appreciation, and dedication to the advancement of public horticulture, arboriculture, and managing our delicate and changing ecology in a sensible manner. Our public gardens offer an experiential and educational setting for the community and its visitors.

See what's green and going on in the Gardens, Parks and Forestry Department.

Community Forestry

Basalt's community forest instills a quiet and appealing aesthetic which touches the lives of its citizens and visitors every day. From the Narrrowleaf Cottonwood corridor that lines the Roaring Fork River on Two Rivers Road, to the diverse tree canopy that includes roughly 3000 trees in our parks, open space and rights of way, Basalt's Forestry staff is committed to preserving this important community asset.

Tree Management

Our tree management plan is largely guided by our GIS-based tree inventory program. GIS facilitates duties to be performed and provides a structure that organizes management goals needed to achieve the many actions required such as:

  • Inspection for insect and disease
  • Tree pruning
  • Hazard tree abatement
  • Tree planting
  • Cultural improvements
  • And more

Promoting a diverse tree population of native and non-native, and well-adapted tree species is an important component of our tree selection.

Horticulture

The town's horticultural and arboricultural community outreach includes guided tours of the town's many gardens which are designed with low water, often native and long season of bloom species, as well as focusing on the diverse and sometimes underutilized tree varieties of important aesthetic and environmental significance. Educating the community on the value of sustainable tree stewardship has lasting positive impacts for generations.

There are a number of landscape pests that affect the health and vigor of our vegetation if left untreated. For more information, visit the Colorado State University website, which is comprehensive in its approach to plant health care.