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Aspen Begins Cutting Down Spruce Trees

Elise Thatcher

Workers in Aspen are cutting down 25 trees on city property today. A subcontractor started removing them, partly to make room for a redevelopment. The spruce trees are planted on top of the city’s parking garage, which is leaking and needs repair, and have to be removed in order for that work to happen. Jason Jones is with Aspen Tree Service, and says there isn’t enough room for the 30-year-old trees to keep growing. 

“They’re reaching their maximum ability to be sustained in these raised planter beds. They’re also planted fairly densely, and as you look around and see the raised beds, [they’ve] started to make conflicts with infrastructure and cracking the concrete.”

The Pitkin County Library renovation will also be extending into the park-like area. The goal is to remove all of the spruce trees today. It might take two days, because of coordinating equipment and managing noise with the courthouse nearby.