Event Highlight: Tree Walk in Columbia Park

Columbia Park Tree Walk

On Saturday, May 13, we hosted a tree walk at Columbia Park with 15 community members. It was a great time to learn more about the park’s history and some fun tree facts. We thought we could share a few fun facts that we learned during this walk.

• The groundwork for the park was laid in the late 1800s when the city of Albina owned the land before it was incorporated by the city of Portland.
• Many of the trees of the park were planted by 1913, making most of them over a hundred years old.
• More than half of the park trees are Douglas-firs, which gives it a forest-in-the-city feel.
• The big American yellowwood in the southwest corner near N Woolsey and N Lombard is the largest known yellowwood in the city. It was a part of the original park plans from over 100 years ago.

• There is a grove of linden trees that shade the northeast corner of the park. The tallest one is at least 136 feet tall.
• There is one Heritage Tree in the park, a Willow Oak #243. It was chosen for its rarity in Portland.
• Finally, the park is home to two Spanish chestnuts, which will produce edible chestnuts. So, be sure to keep an eye out for those in the fall.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the walk. We hope to see even more people at our next tree walks in the coming months.

If you’d like to learn more about the history of the park, check out this virtual tour on Urban Forestry’s website.