Trees for Businesses

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.  

Yes.  Only the property owner can authorize plantings but you can register your interest and we can reach out to the owner or you can talk to them about filling out the interest form linked above.

Yes.  Any property within the city limits is eligible for plantings regardless of where the owner resides.

You can request how many trees you would like in the interest form. Urban Forestry Staff will follow up and assess planting opportunities at the property.

If the property is eligible for free trees, we will prepare a tree planting plan, to be approved by the owner or their authorized representative. We can't always fulfill specific requests, but we will work with you to find the right trees for the right space.

You can suggest where you want the trees planted in the interest form. Urban Forestry Staff will follow up and assess planting opportunities at the property. Not all properties have planting space available.

 Trees will be planted each year from December through March.

This program is funded by the Portland Clean Energy fund (PCEF). 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. 

You will not have to do anything for the new trees for the first three years! Urban Forestry contractors will plant, water, weed and prune the new trees until they are established. After the third summer, the trees will be the property owner responsibility to maintain, which is the same for all trees under Portland City Code 11.60.060.A.2.a.

Young trees need a little help to get established. That's why we provide three years of free care to support their healthy growth.

In the first two years, our contractors water each tree once a week. In the third year, watering shifts to every other week. We also apply mulch to hold moisture and remove weeds around the base.

During the third year, an Urban Forestry arborist will visit to provide structural pruning—setting the tree up for a strong, healthy future with fewer maintenance needs.

After three years, most trees are well-established and need very little summer water or care.

This care is provided at no cost to property owners to give each tree the best chance to thrive.

If the tree dies within the first three years, we'll remove and replace it for free.

Some parts of Portland—especially in East and North Portland —have fewer trees and less shade. While areas west of the Willamette River have 56% tree canopy, the east side (where most Portlanders live) has only 21%. Commercial and industrial zoned areas have even less, at 13% and 8% respectively.  We're planting where trees are needed most to help create a more equitable urban forest. For more information, see Portland's citywide tree planting strategy "Growing a More Equitable Urban Forest."

We have many programs under Urban Forestry. Here is a list of all our programs:

• Trees for Apartments
• Trees for Businesses
• Trees for Parks
• Free Street Trees - Trees for Planting Strips
• Trees for Residential Streets
• Learning Landscapes - Trees for Schools 
• Yard Tree Giveaway - Trees for your Yard

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.