Helena - Trees?? (Clancy: live in, pine, residential)

[redwhiteblue]

Are there any areas in Helena that have a lot of trees?
From what I have seen on google maps it looks pretty barren, is that accurate?

Thanks!

[NYMTman]

The mountains are forested, generally speaking. Places like Clancy, McDonald Pass, York, etc are all well forested. But many of the trees are dying of pine beetle. The valley on the other hand is mostly barren.

[Threerun]

Downtown Helena has a lot of trees. A lot of ash trees to be exact and they are quite worried about the emerald ash borer.

In fact, residential areas in Helena are far more shaded than the valley. I live in North Vally on the north slope and the only trees we have are ponderosa pines, and they are fickle, with spotty pine beetle damage and worse the farther up you go. There are some spots in the valley where cottonwoods grow along the ditches and roadsides, but for the most part it is barren and pretty dry.

It's eastern slope, so I'm not certain what you're looking for, but as far as tree cover you're either in town or in the mountains. Or in the slopes of the mountains. Anything else is pretty scrubby. High plains type of environment.