Did you know there was a community tree planting program in the Albina neighborhood in the ’60s?
A product of the Albina Neighborhood Improvement Plan (ANIP), this program was one of the first documented community tree planting projects in the city’s history. And it was led by a group of Black community members in the Albina neighborhood.
How it started
ANIP started when a group of concerned community members met with city and utility officials to discuss a way to better the neighborhood. Their goal was to prevent areas deemed as blighted from being cleared for urban renewal projects. This was a common racist planning practice that divided and shrunk this historically Black neighborhood. At the time large swaths of Albina had already been cleared for such projects. Some examples are the Fremont Bridge, I-5, the Lloyd Center, and the expansion of Emanuel Hospital.
The Timeline
ANIP ran from 1961-1972. There were many program goals such as cleaning up alleyways and abandoned lots and renovating houses. Another goal was to address the “environmental deficiencies” of the neighborhood. The group wanted to remove poorly planted large trees that were damaging property and plant new ones. Tree planting and removal were managed by the Tree Planting Subcommittee. Partners for ANIP included the Portland Development Commission (now Prosper Portland), Portland General Electric, PPL Electric Utilities, the City Forester, and other industry professionals.
Over 1,000 Trees Planted
With them, the group was able to remove 173 hazardous trees and plant 1,115 trees throughout the area north of Fremont Avenue. Many of the trees planted were Kwanzan Cherries, and some of them are still present in the neighborhood today.
The program was so successful it inspired tree planting efforts in other neighborhoods like King, Sabin, and Woodlawn.
Learn More
To learn more about the Albina Neighborhood Improvement Plan and its legacy, read local historian Dave Hedberg’s study here. To learn more about discriminatory planning practices of Portland, click here.