Oh, hey, Rojer! I'm in Silver
City. Not quite as cold here, at 6k elevation. A few things...
When you can get the trees is going to be a limitation. I find that a lot of nurseries send them out a bit late in the Spring. I usually get them in April or late March at best, and that's really a bit late. We can go from snow in March to hot and dry in April and often that heat is just A LOT for a new tree. I think the sun is more intense at higher elevations and that really makes a difference and causes young trees to struggle to survive, whether you're providing them with
water or not. (And NM sun is already intense. ) This year, the things I planted earlier (fig, serviceberries, Nanking cherry,
apple) all did remarkably better than the cherry tree that came late in April (struggled and died). April -June EVERYTHING struggles here...well, except the cactus.
I don't know about you, but we actually got a really decent monsoon this year for the first time in forever. I ended up buying some trees locally and some off of Etsy and just putting them in the ground (July and August) because it was warm, cloudy, and plenty of moisture for once. They did really well. I kind of feel like this year monsoon was for me what Spring is for most people. It's only just getting cold now, but I feel like these plants had a really good chance to establish before winter and I have high hopes that they'll make it through. A good handful of those were bare root. (Pecan, Rosa rugosa, hazelnut, dogwood).
After everything that has worked for me and everything that hasn't, I'm currently tending to favor fall planting because my biggest worry is the heat, sun, and wind that happens in the spring. But I was surprised how hard it is to get hold of fall plants. I ordered in the summer and can't get much anything until next spring.
However, we don't get nearly as cold as you do. I think that if you choose plants that are hardy to your zone that shouldn't be a problem. But if the plant is at the edge of your zone, be extra careful. I was told by a nursery person to assume that a first year plant will be one zone less hardy. She said that I could grow a plant on in a pot for one more year to make sure it could handle the cold here before I put it in the ground. With some plants that's not possible, but if it's on the edge, make sure to provide a lot of winter protection.
If you're worried about the cold, I would also consider the planting location carefully and choose a microclimate that can keep it warmer.
I know you have some differences from my climate, but being that you are not that far away, I would really caution you to be wary of the spring. That's the first advice I would give to anyone if they were planting here in Silver. If I was in doubt, I would hedge on the side of planting early rather than planting late.
Incidentally, I read that you can plant bare root trees any time the ground is unfrozen
enough to dig a hole.
Hope this helps!