City of Colorado Springs: It’s illegal to dump tree waste in public spaces

City leaders in Colorado Springs are advising people to hire private contractors after multiple people have illegally dumped their tree debris in a public park.

Dennis Will, a city forester, said he woke up to an alert saying people in the Cottonwood Park neighborhood were dumping branches at one of the park’s parking lots.

“There’s simply no way, logistically, that the city should take ownership of private trees and handle that biomass for the citizens,” Will said. “We have to draw the line somewhere and that’s the best place to do that.”

Will said downed trees on private property are the owner’s responsibility and that it’s illegal to dump tree waste in spaces like Cottonwood Park.

Nearby neighbors said they think people misunderstood the situation.

“I guess everyone’s assuming that they can just drop off the branches, just like when we do at Christmas,” said Aaron Taylor, who lives nearby.

Every year, city foresters pick up the pine trees that residents leave after Christmas in the same parking lot at Cottonwood Park.

However, Will says the same rules do not apply after last week’s storm.

“We already own 250,000 street trees and park trees,” he said. “There’s just too much for a small entity like City Forestry to handle.”

Will said it would be impractical for city leaders to designate and regulate dumping sites for residents He advised people to either hire private contractors or to take it to Rocky Top Resources.

If you would like to report a fallen tree on public property, you can do so at https://coloradosprings.gov/downtree.