When Jeff Wagner founded the La Plata County Tree Study Group in southwest Colorado, he wanted to help people learn lots of things about trees. That knowledge can range from such things as tree health, botany, fruit production, woodworking and carpentry to the different kinds of native trees in Durango and La Plata County. The group was featured on the front page of the April 29, 2026 issue of the Durango Herald.
There have been classes on identifying woody plants in dormancy, practicing the art of Bonsai, and certain aspects of specific trees. Members have learned about trees from across the country and around the world. During monthly meetings, they practice their tree identification skills, share stories about trees, catalog and illustrate area forests, and spread interest and awareness about forests and trees.
When Wagner was taking university horticulture courses for landscaping architecture, he especially enjoyed one seminar course designed to give students as much knowledge as possible. When he started the Tree Study Group, he designed it to have a similar approach.
The group is a mix of master gardeners, Durango Botanical Society members, and others who are serious about studying the urban and native forests in the Four Corners area where the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah meet. The Tree Study Group's current project is a personal study of the urban and wild forests of Southwest Colorado between the high deserts of Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona, and the plateaus and mountains of Colorado.
Sometimes classes involve field trips and show-and-tell sessions. During field trips, members may try to identify botanical classifications of trees, or they may observe trees in different parts of the Four Corners. One planned trip involves visiting the Durango Nature Center to discuss moving trees from one climate region to a different one.
In 2024, they took a trip to Honshu and Yakushima in Japan and studied the woody flora and other aspects of the tree population.
People can find out more information about the group on its website, https://www.lpctreestudygroup.org. If you leave your contact information, the group will send you emails about all future announcements.
If you would like to attend a meeting, the group meets at 4 p.m. the last Thursday of each month at the La Plata County Fairgrounds in Durango.