Tree Adventures: Activities and Games

Tree Journal

Become a neighborhood tree detective!

Use a tree journal to search for six common trees in Portland while learning about leaves, bark, seeds, and seasonal changes.

Perfect for:

• Preschool learners
• Elementary students
• Families and outdoor classrooms

Tip: Bring colored pencils or crayons to sketch bark textures and leaf shapes during your walk.

Tree Scavenger Hunt

View full size image of Kids with hands circling a large tree in a park

Explore Portland's parks and streets through fun challenges, trivia, and observation activities.

Choose your adventure level:

• Early Leafers: A playful introduction for young explorers learning to notice the natural world around them.
   
• Dedicated Dendrologists: Dive deeper into tree identification, patterns, and urban forest ecology.
   
• Apprentice Arborists: Take on advanced challenges designed for curious learners and future tree experts.

Create Your Own Tree Walk

Design a personalized tree adventure anywhere in Portland using the City's Tree Inventory Map.

Wander through parks and neighborhood streets while discovering:

• Giant heritage trees
• Colorful seasonal foliage
• Fascinating trees from around the world
• Large evergreens
• Trees of a particular park
• Tree identification

Watch the tutorial video to learn how to use the interactive map and create your own self-guided tree walk. 

Challenge Idea: Can you build a tree walk featuring five trees with completely different leaf shapes?

• Use downloadable planning guides (Urban Forestry is updating this guide) to map out your perfect tree walk experience.

Seasonal Tree Walks

Fall

Throw on your costumes for a Trick-or-Tree Walk! Create a hair-raising route to share with friends and neighbor. This do-it-yourself tree walk will take you to all of the trick-or-trees in your neighborhood. Gnarled branches, whispering willows, and haunting hawthorns are just a few you might find along the way.

Winter

Visit the Winter Wonders Tree Walk page to create a winter wonder tree walk. Learn to identify trees using features beyond the leaves such as buds, bark, branching, and more!

Spring

Spring has sprung, buds are bursting, and trees throughout Portland are coating the City in fragrant flowers! Learn what flowering trees to look for and access the Flowering Tree Webmap to explore the blooms on your block.

Host a Tree Walk with Urban Forestry

We're available to support tree walks. Contact us for more information:

• ufvolunteers@portlandoregon.gov
• 503-201-7695

Guidebooks and Historical Tree Research

Explore Portland's history, culture, and ecology through its trees.

View full size image of From Stumptown to Treetown: A Field Guide for Interpreting Portland’s History though its Heritage Trees.

From Stumptown to Treetown: A Field Guide for Interpreting Portland's History through its Heritage Trees by Portland historian and author David-Paul B. Hedberg. This award-winning field guide connects historic photographs with living heritage trees across the city. Discover how Portland's oldest trees tell stories about:

• Early neighborhoods
• Historic events
• Community growth
• Changing landscapes

Heritage Tree Guidebook: Perfect for creating a self-guided Heritage Tree Walk, this 76-page guide includes:

• Tree maps
• Species descriptions
• Historical information
• Best seasonal viewing times

Historical Tree Research Guide by Portland historian Dave-Paul Hedberg. Curious about the story behind a tree? Learn how to:

• Research tree history online
• Conduct community interviews
• Explore local archives
• Investigate neighborhood history through trees

Other Educational Tree Activities

• Arbor Day Lesson Plans
• Tree Tools
• Treetures
• What Tree is It?