The Blue Spruce
Bark: The bark of this tree is brown with thick scales. Leaves: Evergreen needles either blue or light green with white lines. These needles are 1 to 1-¼ inches long. These needles are very sharp. Fruit: Pinecones 2 to 4 inches long. The pinecones are long, and flexible with toothed scales. Elevation: Located 6,700 to 11,500 feet high. Height: The trees range from 70 to 115 feet. Habitat: Well-drained, sandy soils, moist sites along mountain streams. These often are pure stands. Reaction to Fire: Easily flammable due to the think bark and low branches. |
The Boxelder
Bark:The bark of this tree is a light gray-brown color with shallow fissures. Leaves: The leaves are a light green color that are 2 to 4 inches long. Fruit: This tree has winged seeds that drop in clusters. Elevation: This tree adapts to its place of growth so the elevation of the plant varies. Height: The trees ranges up to 35 feet. Habitat: This tree likes to grow in floodplains and wet soils. It has great success of growth in urban areas. Reaction to Fire: Easily flammable but can be easily recovered due to the seeds. |
The Bristlecone Pine
Bark: The bark of this tree is a light gray color when young but becomes a red-brown color with irregular ridges. Leaves: The leaves are evergreen needles with white lines. They are 1-inch long and generally grow in bundles of 5. Fruit: This tree has dark purple cones that are 2 to 3 inches long. Elevation: This tree is located in elevations 9,200 to 11,800 feet. Height: This tree can be 15 to 30 feet high. Habitat: This tree likes to grow in cold, rocky slopes and high mountain ridges. Reaction to Fire: Not easily flammable because it grows in low temperature areas and have a short growing season. |
The Chokecherry
Bark: The bark of this tree ranges from gray to a reddish brown color. Leaves: The leaves are dark green and are 1 to 4 inches long. Fruit:Cherries grow from this tree and rande from dark red to dark purple. Elevation: This tree grows in locations 5,000 to 10,000 feet. Habitat: This tree grows in a wide range of soils. Reaction to Fire: Easily flammable but resprout rapidly from surviving root crowns and rhizomes. |
The Douglas-fir
Bark: The bark of this tree is a gray color with resin blisters when young. When the tree matures it becomes a red-brown color with many ridges. Leaves: The leaves of this tree are evergreen needles that are 1 inch long. Fruit: There are light brown cones that are 1 to 3 inches long. Elevation: This tree is located in elevations from 6,000 to 9,500 feet. Height: This tree grows to 100 to 130 feet high. Habitat: This tree grows in rocky soils in northern slopes. Reaction to Fire: This tree used to be susceptible to fire but overtime grew a thick layer of bark to protect them. |
The Engelmann Spruce
Bark: The bark of this tree is a gray brown color with thick scales. Leaves: Thus tree has evergreen needles that are a blue-green color. These can grow up to 1 inch long. Fruit: Chestnut pine cones grow on the tree. They are 1 to 2 inches long. Elevation: This trees location is 8,000 to 11,000 feet. Height: The tree can grow from 45 to 130 feet high. Habitat: This grows in cold environments on moist slopes. Reaction to Fire: This tree is easily flammable due to its thin bark. |
The Gambel Oak
Bark: The bark of this tree is a light gray-brown color with thick ridges. Leaves: This tree has oblong leaves that are dark green with a hairy underside. Fruit: This tree has acorns that grow to about 1 inch long. Elevation: The location of this tree is around 4,000 to 8,500 feet. Height: This tree grows to 10 to 15 feet high. Habitat: This tree grows in open areas with warm temperatures. Reaction to Fire: This species of trees is fire-adapted. |
The Limber Pine
Bark: The bark of this tree is light gray when young but when it matures it becomes a dark brown color with thick ridges. Leaves: Like most Coloradan trees it has evergreen needles that are a blue-green color. These needles grow 2 to 3 inches long. Fruit: This tree grows yellow-brown pinecones. Elevation: The location of this tree is typically 5,000 to 12,000 feet. Height: This tree grows from 40 to 50 feet tall. Habitat:This tree grows in soils with low nutrients on dry and rocky slopes. Reaction to Fire: Young trees are killed by all fires but matured trees are less likely to catch on fire. |
The Lodgepole Pine
Bark: This tree has light brown bark with small scales. Leaves: The evergreen needles are typically yellow to dark green with 1 to 3 inches in length. Fruit: This tree grows yellow-brown pine cones that are 2 inches long. Elevation: This tree is located in regions 6,000 to 11,000 feet. Height: This tree typically grows 20 to 80 feet high. Habitat: This tree grows in well-drained soils in higher elevations. Reaction to Fire: This tree dies in fires due to its thin bark. |
The Narrowleaf Cottonwood
Bark: This tree has a yellow-green bark when young but grows to have a gray-brown bark. Leaves: The leaves on this tree are a shiny green with a pale underside. These leaves are 2 to 3 inches long. Elevation: This trees location is usually 5,000 to 8,000 feet. Height: This tree grows up to 60 feet in height. Habitat: The tree grows in moist soils along streams. Reaction to Fire: These trees are very easily flammable. |
The Peachleaf Willow
Bark: This tree has a thin red-brown bark. Leaves: This tree has lance-shaped leaves that are typically 2 to 4 inches long. Elevation: This trees location is typically 3,500 to 7,500 feet. Height: The tree can grow in height up to 40 feet. Habitat: It grows in moist areas near water. Reaction to Fire: The tree is very flammable but has the possibility to resprout depending on the severity of the fire. |
The Pinon Pine
Bark: This tree has a rough red-brown back with scaly ridges. Leaves: There are evergreen needles ranging from 1 to 1 ½ inches long. Fruit: This tree grows yellow-brown pine cones that are 1 to 2 inches long. Elevation: This pines location is 5,200 to 9,000 feet. Height: This tree can grow from 20 to 50 feet tall. Habitat: The tree grows in open woodlands. Reaction to Fire: This tree is very flammable because of its thin bark. |
The Plains Cottonwood
Bark: This bark is a dark gray color with rough furrows. Leaves: The cottonwood has yellow-green broad foliage. These leaves are 3 to 6 inches long. Elevation: This trees location is generally 3,500 to 6,500 feet. Height: This tree can grow from 36 to 190 feet tall. Habitat: This tree grows in areas near a water source. Reaction to Fire: This tree is very flammable and has a small chance of regrowth. |
The Ponderosa Pine
Bark: The bark on this tree is a red-orange color with scaly plates. Leaves: The evergreen needles are a dark yellow-green that can be 3 to 7 inches long. Fruit: This tree produces red-brown pine cones that are 3 to 4 inches long. Elevation: This tree is located in regions from 6,300 to 9,500 feet. Height: This pine can grow from 40 to 60 feet tall. Habitat: The pine grows in dry habitats with poor nutrient soils. Reaction to Fire: This pine is very resistant to fires because of its thick bark. |
The Quaking Aspen
Bark: The bark on this tree is a green-white color with dark patches. This trunk base is very thick and gray. Leaves: The leaves are bright green with a rounded pointed tip. Fruit: The fruit that grows on this tree is catkins that can be up to 4 inches long. Elevation: This tree is located in elevations from 6,500 to 11,500 feet. Height: This tree grows from 35 to 50 feet tall. Habitat: The aspen grows in a variety of soil types. Reaction to Fire: This tree is easily killed by fires. |
The Rocky Mountain Juniper
Bark: The bark on this tree is a gray brown color. Leaves: The evergreen needles can be small with a green color. Fruit: This tree grows blue berries. Elevation: The location of this tree is typically in 5,000 to 9,000 feet. Height: This tree grows from 20 to 50 feet high. Habitat: This tree is grown in rocky soils in foothills and plains. Reaction to Fire: The wood of this tree is very flammable. |
The Rocky Mountain Maple
Bark: This maple has a smooth gray or brown bark. Leaves: The leaves are typically 2 to 5 inches long and are dark green with a red stem. Elevation: This tree is located in 3,000 to 10,000 feet areas. Height: The height of this tree is 20 to 30 feet high. Habitat: This tree grows itself in wetlands, canyons, or mountain slopes. Reaction to Fire: This tree is fire dependent. The seeds disperse and resprout following fires. |
The Subalpine Fir
Bark: This bark has shallow fissures and is scaly with brown coloring. Leaves: The leaves are evergreen needles with a blue-green color. Fruit: This tree grows dark purple cones that are typically 2 to 4 inches long. Elevation: This tree is located in elevations from 8,000 to 12,000 feet. Height: The height of this tree ranges from 60 to 100 feet high. Habitat: This tree grows in cold, high elevations in forests. Reaction to Fire: This tree is generally killed in fires because of its thin bark. |
The Thinleaf Alder
Bark: This bark is a gray-brown color with a bumpy surface. Leaves: The leaves on this tree are dark green and are 2 to 5 inches long. Fruit: This tree grows cone-like catkin. Elevation: The tree is located in elevations from 5,000 to 10,000 feet. Height: This tree grows in height from 15 to 40 feet. Habitat: This tree grows in moist sites in higher elevations. Reaction to Fire: This tree is easily flammable but resprouts after it burns. |
The White Fir
Bark: The bark on this tree is gray with many ridges and orange cracks. Leaves: This tree has evergreen needles that are light blue and green. These grow 1 to 3 inches long. Fruit: This tree grows olive green and blue cones that are typically 3 to 5 inches long. Elevation: This tree is located in 7,900 to 10,200 feet. Height: The white fir grows from 60 to 125 feet tall. Habitat: The habitat of the white fir is moist soils in high mountain valleys. Reaction to Fire: This tree is moderately fire tolerant. |