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Free trees, planting and watering for industrial, commercial and multifamily residential properties from Portland Parks & Recreation’s Urban Forestry.
Program Overview
Portland’s industrial roots have left many large properties without tree cover. The Private Property Planting Program helps restore green space by planting trees on industrial, commercial, and multi-family properties—all for free. That includes planting, watering, and maintenance for the first three years.
In 2025, we’re pressing pause on new plantings to focus on caring for young trees already in the ground. Our team will continue watering, mulching, weeding, and pruning these trees, working closely with property owners to ensure we have access for maintenance.
Planting will start again in fall 2026. If your site could benefit from more trees, fill out the interest form below. We’ll let you know when sign-ups open.
Interest Form
Interested in trees for your Apartment Complex or Business? Please fill out the Private Property Interest form to receive a notice when registration opens.
Private Property Interest Form
Frequently Asked Questions
Why trees?
Trees provide essential services for all Portlanders. Planting trees helps cool down our neighborhoods and make living and working in Portland more comfortable during the hottest months. They also clean the air, buffer noise and improve our mental and physical health. On top of all of this, they provide year-round beauty.
What other tree planting programs does Urban Forestry have?
We have many programs under Urban Forestry. You can find them in the related section above. Here is a list of all of our programs:
Who pays for this?
This program is funded by the City’s Tree Planting and Preservation Fund (TPPF) and by the Portland Clean Energy fund (PCEF). TPPF is used to plant trees to compensate for those removed during property development and other situations. The money for PCEF comes from a 1% surcharge on large corporate retailers and is used to fund projects that reduce carbon emissions, create economic opportunity and help make our city more resilient to climate change.
What is Urban Forestry?
Urban Forestry is a division of Portland Parks & Recreation. Urban Forestry's mission is to manage and ensure Portland's urban forest infrastructure for current and future generations. Urban Forestry is committed to working with property owners, residents, contractors, and communities to enhance the urban forest and optimize the services that trees provide us all.