FREE rides in the tree “bucket truck”; free, family activities
(Portland, OR) –
Portland Parks & Recreation’s Urban Forestry division, stewards of nearly 1.5 million trees across the Rose City, is proud to partner with amazing volunteers in presenting present Arbor Day 2015: TREES ARE FOR EVERYONE!. It’s a free, family-friendly festival for “forest-y” fun! Please join us as Portland celebrates our urban forest.
WHAT: Portland Arbor Day Festival 2015
WHERE: SW Park Blocks between SW Harrison and Montgomery (the Portland Farmers Market at Portland State University)
WHEN: Friday, April 10, 11am-1pm (FREE squirrel-eye views of the city with bucket truck rides for everyone) and Saturday, April 11, 2015 (free, family fun, games, and activities, details below) 8:30am-2pm
On Friday, April 10, Urban Forestry crews will offer a squirrel’s-eye view of downtown Portland in the same equipment they use to keep our trees healthy and beautiful. People of all ages are welcome to have a ride.
On Saturday, April 11, the full Arbor Day celebration kicks off. Portland will be named a Tree City USA for the 38th consecutive year.
Enjoy family-friendly crafts, tree games, environmental education, nature stations and more opportunities to learn about trees and their amazing benefits, what they do for the environment and more! Share your stories and questions about trees.
Activities include:
• Face painting
• A “be an arborist” game for kids – use the same equipment actual PP&R arborists use to care for trees!
• Hands-on nature activities with mystery boxes of natural materials
• Learn what trees do for you, your city and the environment
• Take a picture next to our environmental education teens (GRUNTS), who will be decked out in totally awesome tree costumes!
• Hug a tree (or more than one)
“The theme of Arbor Day 2015 is ‘Trees are for Everyone.’ The benefits we receive from trees are well known,” says Portland Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz. “We have a unique city, with nature and our urban life intertwined like few other places. Arbor Day is a wonderful chance for people to connect with nature through a wide variety of fun and educational activities.”
Learn about neighborhood tree plantings, what species of trees are on your block, Green Streets, the new Tree Code, Portland’s Heritage Trees, fruit trees in the city, Hoyt Arboretum, and the Outdoor School.
Honor the recipients of the Bill Naito Community Trees Awards (at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 11), and hear why Portland will once again be honored as a Tree City USA.
Trees are worth celebrating!
Celebrate our beautiful urban forest all throughout the city during Arbor Day and all throughout the year. Join us and learn how Portland’s trees work 24/7: filtering our water, cleaning our air, cooling the city, providing wildlife habitat, enhancing livability, and increasing property resale value. All activities are open to the public and free of charge.
About Portland’s Trees
Portland Parks & Recreation cares for more than 1.2 million trees in PP&R parks and natural areas, and oversees an additional 240,000 street trees across the city! The amount of Portland’s land covered by trees, known as the urban canopy, has increased by nearly 3% during the past nine years. The success is due to efforts undertaken by successful public-private partnerships including the Tree Stewardship Coalition, Portland Parks & Recreation, Friends of Trees and the Bureau of Environmental Services. Currently, 30% of Portland’s surface area is covered in urban forest, with a goal of 33% (per the Urban Forest Management Plan, completed in 2004).
Become a partner to Portland’s urban forest
To learn more about Portland Parks & Recreation’s Urban Forestry tree events and partner events all month long, please visit https://www.portlandoregon.gov/…