Levi Heidrich knows trees. He has worked with trees almost his entire life, and the root of his knowledge runs as deep as those of his familyís business.In 1979, Heidrichís parents moved from Kansas to Colorado, and Heidrich was born the next year in Pueblo, Colorado. The family eventually moved to the Colorado City/Rye area. Heidrichís father grew up in a ranching family in Oklahoma and Kansas, and moved to Colorado to start his own ranching business. ìThe business was first called CTF – Cattle, Trees and Firewood,î Heidrich said. ìMy dad said firewood is what actually kept food on the table for the first year and a half.î The cattle portion of the business never took off, and they eventually changed the business name to Colorado Tree Farm.At 10 years old, Heidrich began working in the family business by digging trees alongside his dad. ìIn the basement, my dad had a huge topographical map of the state so he could know where to go to look for trees,î he said. ìAt one point, we had access to tens of thousands of acres of private land where we could dig (trees). We had contracts with land owners.î Heidrich and his youngest brother, who is also a business partner, have been digging trees at the same ranch for 30 years.In the late 1980s, the Heidrich family moved the business from LaVeta to Colorado Springs and opened a retail tree lot near the Chapel Hills mall. Heidrich continued to work in the family business throughout high school.In 1998, he graduated from Rye High School and then attended Colorado College in the Springs. ìI had no passion to stay in the family business,î he said. ìBusiness, computer, marketing were kind of some of the things that interested me.î But after writing his senior thesis on small business marketing, Heidrich changed his mind. He interviewed four small business owners, including his dad. ìTo me out of all four of them, my dad was the most interesting,î he said. ìI did those interviews and Ö decided I wanted to be my own boss.î In 1992, Heidrich graduated with a bachelorís degree in economics.Heidrich moved to Falcon in 2003; and, in February of that year, they moved the family business from Chapel Hills to the corner of Woodmen Road and Black Forest Road. Heidrich took over as manager for his dad, and made a few changes, including new technology, a new website and a new name. Five years later, the business name changed to Heidrichís Colorado Tree Farm Nursery LLC, with Heidrichís dad as the majority owner and a shared partnership with three of the four children – Levi, Katie and Joel. ìStill one of my favorite things to do is go dig trees with my dad,î he said.Heidrich has been married to his college sweetheart, Heather, since 2005. They have two children: Cooper and Piper.The New Falcon Herald: What is the biggest mistake Coloradans make when landscaping/planting trees?Heidrich: They focus too much on price. I respect that everyoneís got a budget. Quality is huge for me. If you grow it the correct way and sell it the correct way, it is going to cost more than shipped in. And lack of knowledge. They donít ask questions like where was this grown. When you buy a tree from us, you are also getting the expertise of how to plant it and maintain it. And people tend to plant things too deep. My dad always said, ìYou bury dead things. You plant living things.î They need to plant things higher. They do better that way.The New Falcon Herald: What is the best plant or tree that will grow well in Colorado? Heidrich: Well it depends on a lot of things. What kind of soil do you have? What is the goal of this plant? I am partial to ponderosa pine. They are native to Black Forest. They are native all along the Front Range. For a tall pine tree, they tolerate high soil ph. They grow very fast, and they are drought tolerant once they are established. The hardiest deciduous tree that I sell is the bur oak. It tolerates soil ph. It grows slower but tolerates the cold and the wind. It doesnít leaf out early so spring freezes donít hurt it as bad. The New Falcon Herald: What is the biggest environmental issue today? Heidrich: I donít necessarily believe that we are responsible for everything. The way our population is growing we are going to have an impact on the resources. I think people need to be more conscious of their use and not as wasteful. If I had to name one thing, it would be water. We all need to manage water and be aware of what we are using it for. Conserving water is important, and we need to work together to try and conserve it.The New Falcon Herald: Name something you specifically would change about the community?Heidrich: Sidewalks. There are no sidewalks (in Paint Brush Hills). And I wish there was more local family-owned businesses. I am all for free market and free enterprise.The New Falcon Herald: What do you like about Falcon?Heidrich: I wanted to live in the country. So we have neighbors in the front, but it is open in the back. I can still see the stars at night, and I donít get blinded by lights, horns or sirens. I like that thereís (local restaurants) and you can go into these places and see people you know, and they know your name.
