POSTED SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
(Portland, OR) –
Portland Parks & Recreation’s Urban Forestry division invites all Portlanders to celebrate Arbor Day 2019 and the fall tree planting season. Urban Forestry is proud to host a family-friendly Arbor Day tree planting event in October, followed by three separate yard tree giveaway events to help expand the City’s tree canopy. Increasing tree canopy coverage citywide helps make Portland a healthier, greener place to live.
What: Portland’s Arbor Day 2019 tree planting celebration
When: Saturday, October 12, 2019, 10am-12pm, rain or shine
Where: East Holladay Park, 12999 NE Holladay Street, Portland, Oregon 97230 (accessible via #20 and #77 TriMet buses as well as car, bike or foot)
Who: Everyone! We welcome all ages and abilities, no previous planting experience required. Urban Forestry staff will lead attendees through the process of properly planting trees.
Portland Arbor Day 2019 website: portlandoregon.gov/parks/arbor
Arbor Day has been observed nationally for almost 150 years. Portland will be marking its 42nd consecutive year as a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
“Trees provide countless benefits to people and the environment. I am deeply committed to expanding our urban tree canopy, especially in East Portland,” says Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish. “And I’m proud that both my bureaus, Portland Parks & Recreation and the Bureau of Environmental Services, are leaders for trees and the environment.”
PP&R Urban Forestry is expanding the urban tree canopy in areas of need of trees. In Portland, existing canopy coverage is not equitably distributed throughout the city. Excluding Forest Park, Portland’s canopy cover west of the Willamette River is 44%. However, east of the Willamette River, where 80% of Portland’s residents live, canopy cover is only 21%. Many low-canopy neighborhoods are neighborhoods with the highest percentage of communities of color and immigrant and refugee communities.
Planting and maintaining trees reduces the effects of climate change by removing carbon dioxide and other particulate matter from the air, reducing regional air temperatures. The larger the tree, the greater the environmental benefits.
“Trees are part of the very fabric of Portland,” says Portland Parks & Recreation Director Adena Long. “We are delighted to have Arbor Day and the tree planting events to remind us of how lucky we are to live among so many trees, and to benefit from all they offer. Our thanks to the hardworking staff in our Urban Forestry division.”
FREE YARD TREE GIVEAWAYS
Help us grow the tree cover around Portland and plant a tree in your yard! Portland Parks and Recreation Urban Forestry is giving away 750 free yard trees for planting on private property in Portland. Portlanders should reserve trees now. Trees will be given away at three events beginning in October and into November: at Gateway Discovery Park in the Gateway neighborhood, at Parklane Park in Centennial, and at Cathedral Park in St. Johns.
Visit Urban Forestry online to make your reservation. Maximum of two per household.
Why Yard Trees? Trees provide essential services for all Portlanders including cleaning the air we breathe, shading us and our homes during the hot summer months and improving our health.
Which trees will be offered? Medium and large growing trees will be given away, including evergreens and those known for beautiful fall color. A list of available trees can be found here.
Yard tree giveaway events
- Saturday, October 19, 2019 at Gateway Discovery Park, 10520 NE Halsey Street, 10am–12pm
- Saturday, November 2, 2019 at Parklane Park, SE 155th Avenue and Main Street, 10am–12pm
- Saturday, November 16, 2019 at Cathedral Park, 6635 N Baltimore Avenue, 10am-12pm
Any trees not picked up during the pre-registration hours will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 1pm. Supplies are limited – Register early to guarantee your trees! Please email freetrees@portlandoregon.gov or call 503-823-4963 with questions.
About Portland Parks & Recreation UrbanForestry
The mission of PP&R’s Urban Forestry division is to manage and care for Portland's forest infrastructure in the City, for current and future generations. Our urban forest consists of 220,000 street trees, 1.2 million park trees, and innumerable private property trees. Urban Forestry is involved in managing or regulating all of these trees to differing degrees- creating and implementing the City's Urban Forest Management Plan, fostering community tree awareness and stewardship, developing tree policies and programs, monitoring and assessing the urban forest, issuing permits for planting, pruning, and removal of public and some private trees, and responding to tree emergencies.
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