The City of Littleton, in partnership with the High Line Canal Conservancy and Arapahoe County Open Spaces, is piloting a new approach to tree planting along the High Line Canal (HLC).
As water availability throughout the HLC has lessened, the health of many trees has declined. This project will experiment with permanently irrigated planting areas to support the establishment and long-term health of new trees.
The pilot will focus on a section of the canal between W. Euclid Avenue and Broadway/Caley Avenue, where the city hopes to create a heavily treed, heavily shaded trail experience for the community. Around 60 new trees, with low flow irrigation systems running to each individual tree, are expected to be planted in early 2027 (weather permitting).
This project is about more than planting trees. By testing permanent low-flow irrigation, Littleton can learn what it takes to successfully establish and sustain a healthy tree canopy along the HLC as water availability changes.
The lessons learned will help inform future tree planting and canopy management throughout Littleton and provide data for our partners along the entire 71-mile stretch of the HLC trail.
For questions about the project, call 720-767-2452 or email hello@highlinecanal.org.