Saturday morning, the Audubon Society of Portland hosted a sneak peak tour of Collins Sanctuary, a recent Metro purchase with voter-approved dollars.

As the elected officials in the video will tell you (Metro President David Bragdon; Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder; Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish), Metro is partnering with Friends of Trees’ Gift Trees program to do natural area restoration on the over 80-acre parcel of land.

Here is a little of the back story of Collins Sanctuary.

And here is a snippet on what the previous Gift Trees planting was like in December.

Check back in for more personal Gift Trees stories as we lead up to our next March 28 planting.

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Green Space Initiative, Portland Canopy
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Tags: Audubon, Collins Sanctuary, Gift Trees, Metro, PP&R

Click this button to shop for Friends of Trees.

Don’t forget, Gift Trees are a unique and romantic Valentine’s Day gift.

Visit this post for Gift Trees details, and order yours by Wednesday so we can mail the accompanying  card in time to reach your valentine by Feb. 14.

If you prefer to give a more traditional gift, please consider supporting Friends of Trees as you shop at CafeGive.

When you use Friends of Trees’ account—make sure you see our logo in the upper right corner of the CafeGive page— a percentage of your purchase supports our tree plantings.

The new blog button on the right-hand side will always take you to CafeGive and set your shopping preference in support of Friends of Trees.

Here’s a sample of the more than 200 stores where you can shop through Friends of Trees’ CafeGive page: KEEN, The North Face, Muck Boots, Gaiam, Adidas, Travelocity, Borders, Gap, 1-800-Flowers.com, and Chocolate.com.

–Teri Ruch

Filed under: FOT Events
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Tags: Gift Trees

The Portland State University Cycling Club. (PSU Cycling)

Members of Portland State University’s Cycling Club were recently named USA Cycling Team of the month.

Why is this “tree blog” news? Several club athletes volunteer with Friends of Trees because it’s a dual opportunity to give back to the community and get in a weekend workout, too, said senior rider Julia Spahle.

“We’re on our bikes all the time—we enjoy being outside,” said Spahle. “It’s nice to give back to the outside and also be on our bikes … it’s a perfect combination.”

Last year, Spahle and some of her teammates made it to a Plant by Bike event, which proved to be a legitimate resistance training test, even for the competitive riders.

“It was very empowering moving everything by bikes,” said the international development major.

Every Friends of Trees planting—bicycle or no bicycle—offers a tremendous opportunity to break a sweat while giving back to your community.

Check out the Friends of Trees volunteer page to find out more, or check out the planting calendar for times and dates—no registration is required, just show up for a doughnut and pick up a shovel.

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Portland Canopy
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Tags: bike, planting, volunteering

The new Web site from the Bureau of Environmental Services offers many layers of interaction for homeowners.

A new interactive landing site for the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) informs residents of runoff management options and monitors results for any specific property in the city.

A Portland home owner can type in their address and find out how much their average monthly stormwater bill is and how many thousands of gallons a year flow from their property into the  sewer and river system.

For example, one of Mayor Sam Adams’ properties on N. McClellan St. has a monthly stormwater bill of $19, with over 95,000 gallons a year left unabsorbed.

From there, users are allowed to consider projects that will increase stormwater absorption and lower their monthly bill.

A list of local vendors is even provided for each particular project type, which include downspout disconnects, rain gardens, tree plantings and ecoroofs, among others.

This new landing site, created by ProjectDX, is an online homeroom for all of the city’s efforts via the five-year, $50 million Grey to Green (G2G) Initiative.

Included in this effort is a partnership between BES and Friends of Trees that has the goal of planting 83,000 street and yard trees over the course of G2G.

New culverts, ecoroofs and green streets around town are all a part of the same G2G effort to absorb our runoff and minimize the overflow damage to the local river system.

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Portland Canopy
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Tags: BES, G2G, planting, runoff, street trees, yard trees

Portland Nursery has several fruit tree weekend courses coming up this month.

An intro to fruit trees is offered at both their Southeast Portland locations, and a fruit tree pruning class is offered at their store on Division.

Intro to fruit trees info: Feb. 13, 1 p.m., 5050 SE Stark; and Feb. 20, 10 a.m., 9000 SE Division.

Fruit tree pruning: Feb. 20, 11: 30 a.m., 9000 SE Division.

For more information on classes or to register: stark-classes@portlandnursery.com; division-classes@portlandnursery.com

And now there is this Portland Nursery video about winter tree care:

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Portland Canopy
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Tags: education, fruit trees, video

A hornbeam tree was planted to replace a Sweetgum. (City of Woodburn)

Residents of a subdivision in Woodburn will soon be billed anywhere from $500 to $1,100 for street tree removals and replacements, reported The Woodburn Independent Tuesday.

In an interview with Growth Rings, Woodburn Public Works Director Dan Brown said the nine-year-old Ironwood subdivision planted Sweetgum trees right next to driveways and light posts, causing serious damage to infrastructure.

“Back then, the sweet gum was an approved street tree and we have removed it since then,” he said.

The local improvement district project cost $85,000, $22,000 of which was covered by the city.

Brown said residents leveraged themselves as a homeowners association to overwhelmingly pass the initiative.

“When you’re doing a local improvement district, you need a majority,” said Brown. “(Homeowners) really wanted it.”

Friends of Trees works with the City of Portland to ensure the proper street tree is planted in the proper hole. This system of checks and balances ensures safe plantings that continue to boost the city’s urban canopy without causing expensive damage.

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Portland Canopy, Tree City USA
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Tags: street trees, Sweetgum, Woodburn

Besides being overtly appropriate for children, this fun video made by a longtime Neighborhood Coordinator chronicles the Jan. 30 planting in Arbor Lodge and Overlook.

Volunteers and staff planted 182 trees at the North Portland planting, which was sponsored by Adidas. Meanwhile, in the East Portland neighborhoods of Centennial, Hazelwood and Mill Park, 106 street and yard trees were planted.

And of course, these large trees are in addition to the 400 small trees and shrubs that were planted at the same time in Washington County by the Green Space Initiative program.

There are 25 remaining plantings this season—check out the online calendar and come see what all the fuss is about.

Thanks to Kria Lacher for sharing her planting movie. Can you spot any other familiar faces?

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Green Space Initiative, Neighborhood Trees
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Tags: planting, street trees, video, yard trees

Individual members gave us a great boost into the new year. Even in this down economy, more of our generous volunteers became contributing members, more contributing members renewed their support, and many new members found us for the first time through Willamette Week’s 2009 Give!Guide.

We are deeply grateful for all this support as we reach the mid-way point of our planting season. Individual donors make it possible for us to continue restoring natural areas, increase greenways near thoroughfares such as I-205, and reduce tree costs so more homeowners can plant trees.

With 25 plantings done and 25 to come, we’ve already planted nearly 7,000 trees and native plants with the help of volunteers.

Check out some of the memorable planting moments from our current season on the slide show above, and many more pictures are available on our Flickr page.

–Melissa Barber, associate director of membership services: 503-282-8846 ext. 23, melissab@FriendsofTrees.org

Filed under: FOT Events, Green Space Initiative, Neighborhood Trees
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Tags: giving, slideshow

See those 23 stumps along the fence? Google does. Only two were permitted removals. (Wired.com)

Thanks to watchful neighbors and one coincidental Google mapping vehicle, three people have been charged with illegally removing trees in Vancouver, Canada.

As seen on the Google map image from the property at 6060 Olympic St., a total of 23 cedar cypress and evergreen trees were cut down along a fence line.

Only two tree removals were properly permitted, reported The Vancouver Sun last week. Vancouver tree bylaws indicate penalties for illegal removals range from $500 to $20,000 per tree.

For a first-hand Google look at the address, click here.

Submit your local tree photographs (plantings, removals…) to GrowthRings@FriendsofTrees.org

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Tree City Earth
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Tags: yard trees

As usual, the multimedia team at Portland General Electric continues to create five-star content.

Similar to the ‘History of Trees in Portland‘ video they produced in the 1990s, this video provides context for the three-year partnership between Friends of Trees, Metro and ODOT, which is planting thousands of trees along the I-205 Multi-Use Path.

This video was captured at the Jan. 23 planting and features Green Space Initiative Manager Logan Lauvray and Friends of Trees Board Member Barbara Kohler.

Thanks again to Doug Crombie and his PGE colleagues.

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Green Space Initiative, Portland Canopy
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Tags: I-205, Metro, ODOT, video

The Oregon State Bird: Western Meadowlark. (State of Oregon)

The Audubon Society of Portland is hosting an adult education course on winter tree identification Sunday, Feb. 21.

The $25-35 course led by Steve Engel will start in a classroom then head out into the Audubon Sanctuary after a sack lunch. Pre-registration is required.

Friends of Trees and the Audubon Society of Portland partner on many area projects, including an upcoming Gift Trees planting and a crew leader training last November (watch video).

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Portland Canopy
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Tags: Audubon, education, Gift Trees

Planted in 1825 or 1826, this apple tree in Vancouver is believed to be the oldest in the Northwest. (The Oregonian)

Vancouver Urban Forestry has several upcoming events, including two Neighborhood Trees plantings with Friends of Trees, Feb. 27 and March 20.

This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. is a workshop entitled Fruit Tree Pruning & Care. This hands-on class will teach basic pruning methods in the classroom and in the orchard. Bring a lunch and dress for the weather.

The workshop will be held at Joe’s Farm, 701 NE 112 Ave. Pre-registration is required. For more information call 360-619-1108 or email urbanforestry@ci.vancouver.wa.us.

Similar to Portland’s Tree Steward Program, Vancouver Urban Forestry has a Neighborwoods Steward program that will begin training new volunteers once a week next month.

Tree stewards receive 20 hours of free education from local arborists on how to maintain the health of the local urban forest, and in return donate at least 15 hours of volunteer time each year.

For more information on all Vancouver Urban Forestry events, visit them online.

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Neighborhood Trees, Tree City USA
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Tags: education, fruit trees, Vancouver, volunteering

Herbie, formerly New England's tallest elm tree, is donating its growth rings to science. (The Washington Post)

Who knows the difference between a dendroclimatologist and a dendrochronologist? Both forms of scientist will soon be studying the growth rings of Herbie, the 110-foot American Elm tree in New England that finally succumbed to Dutch elm disease a few weeks ago.

Of course, the scientists will be looking for clues to Herbie’s age and for answers about the climate, reports The Washington Post.

With thousands of Haitians fleeing the lingering chaos in their nation’s capital for rural settings, some are concerned the few remaining trees will be felled for fuel and sustenance.

“Given the earthquake’s devastation, there is now a mass exodus of people to rural areas, but these areas cannot even support the current population much less the hundreds of thousands of people migrating there,” said Ethan Budiansky, Africa and Caribbean programs officer for Trees for the Future, who regularly travels to Haiti to work on agroforestry initiatives.

“Land will become even more impoverished and the few remaining trees will be cut down unless strict measures are put into place,” Budiansky told the Environmental News Service.

The Microraptor in flight. (University of Kansas)

The Microraptor lived 120 million years ago and was likely arboreal, further linking dinosaurs to birds, according to new research.

Scientists from America and China built a three-dimensional plastic replica to test the Microraptor’s hip rotations, making sure it could extend its hind legs for flight, reports MSNBC.com.

What types of trees do elephants in Oakland like? The answer is acacia, apple, oak and hibiscus, according to the Oakland Zoo which is requesting tree donations.

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Tree City Earth, Tree City USA
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Tags: American Elm, Dutch elm disease

The Neighborhood Trees (NT) program plants large street and yard trees in various Portland-metro urban areas. With proper care, large stock trees have a great survivability rate and are able to quickly impact their environmental.

While trucks are usually required for NT plantings, this Jan. 23 planting in Southeast Portland shows how three Plant by Bike crews used only their pedal power to plant 36 trees (see video here).

The Green Space Initiative (GSI) program plants and restores natural areas with small trees and shrubs. Earlier this year, GSI began a new project with Metro and ODOT that is bringing large, NT-size trees to the I-205 Multi-Use Path.

At this planting Jan. 16 at Rose Creek, volunteers were able to restore a native watershed with 600 trees and shrubs!

Thanks to Helen Lee and Bob Storer, respectively, for the images.

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Green Space Initiative, Neighborhood Trees
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Tags: I-205, Metro, ODOT, planting, slideshow, street trees, volunteering, yard trees

Crew Leaders Amber and Byron Clayton never stray far from each other at plantings, like this one last month along the I-205 Multi-Use Path. (Chijo Takeda)

This year, love each other and the Earth by giving Friends of Trees Gift Trees for Valentine’s Day.

For a donation of just $35, Friends of Trees will plant a young native tree in honor of a loved one and send a gift acknowledgement card in their name. It’s a great cause and a fun, green alternative to the standard Valentine’s Day fare. One single tree costs $35, and a grove of six young native trees costs $100.

Gift Trees are planted in the Collins Sanctuary in Forest Park during one of two annual Gift Trees plantings. All who give or receive Gift Trees for Valentine’s Day this year will be invited to plant their trees at the planting on March 28. Because nothing says I love you quite like getting your hands dirty with your sweetheart!

“Trees are much more lasting than jewelry,” said Steve Smith at Friends of Trees’ December Gift Trees planting. He and his wife Kelsey Wirtzfeld plant Gift Trees together each year in honor of their marriage. Both look forward to visiting the trees as they grow and seeing them provide food and shelter for wildlife in Forest Park.

(more…)

Filed under: FOT Events, Green Space Initiative, Neighborhood Trees
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Tags: Audubon, Collins Sanctuary, Gift Trees, I-205, Metro

This street tree outside the East Burn restaurant on SE Burnside is not going to make it. (FOT file)

The East Burn restaurant at the 1800 block of Southeast Burnside has a delightfully juicy pork sandwich that is garnished with a potato pancake, onions, sour cream and apple chutney.

They also have a street tree outside that is going to die.

“If this was an intentional prune, it was done without adequate understanding of proper pruning techniques,” said Dr. Tree, the Friends of Trees in-house urban forester.

Whatever the means—huge truck, wind storm, two NFL linemen hanging from the branch—this street tree has a rough road ahead of it.

Here’s to protecting our shared street trees and replacing them when they’ve been harmed.

Co-owner Mike Bender had this response:

Yes, unfortunately this tree was done in by a delivery truck. The rerouted traffic into the parking lane hasn’t helped either. We have the permit in hand and need to have the tree removed and replaced. Thank you for the concern.

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Portland Canopy
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Tags: Dr. Tree, street tree

**Special Alert: Friends of Trees needs your backbone and green initiative this Saturday**

Tree planting volunteers are needed Saturday Jan. 30 at the Centennial, Hazelwood and Mill Park neighborhood planting.

Similar to the slide show from last month’s Neighborhood Trees planting in Southeast Portland, sturdy boots and mostly a willingness to get dirty in your community is needed. Friends of Trees and generous sponsors provide the rest: tools, coffee, doughnuts and more.

Please help us achieve our mission of increasing the Portland-metro area’s tree canopy. Meet at the Gethsemane Lutheran Church, 11560 SE Market St. Planting starts at 9 a.m. and runs until 1 p.m, so please  arrive a little early to register with your coffee.

Contact Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator Andy Meeks: 503-282-8846 ext. 24, andym@FriendsofTrees.org

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Neighborhood Trees
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Tags: planting, volunteering

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planted a tree in the West Bank last weekend. (NYTimes.com)

Day 15 on the Hebrew calendar, Jan. 30 this year, is Tu B’shvat, the Jewish New Year for Trees.

From Chabad.org:

This is the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.

We mark the day of Tu B’Shvat by eating fruit, particularly from the kinds that are singled out by the Torah in its praise of the bounty of the Holy Land: grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. On this day we remember that “Man is a tree of the field” (Deuteronomy 20:19) and reflect on the lessons we can derive from our botanical analogue.

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Neighborhood Trees, Tree City Earth
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Tags: fruit trees, planting, Tu B'shvat

The Center, Kerns, Laurelhurst and Sunnyside planting Saturday is becoming known as the Plant by Bike event of the year in Portland.

Of the 125 large stock trees that were planted, 36 were planted via three bike crews (see planting photos on Flickr).

There are two more Plant by Bike events this season, Feb. 20 in Piedmont and Woodlawn, and March 6 in Montavilla and Mt. Tabor. Contact these crew leaders if you’re interested in joining a bike planting crew: Gregg Lavender (Feb. 20) gregglavender@gmail.com; Peter Nierengarten (March 6) peternierengarten@hotmail.com.

Special thanks to staffer Brighton West for his video snippet—look for his full Filmed by Bike submission soon.

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Neighborhood Trees
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Tags: bike, planting

Old Apple Tree Park in Vancouver. (Vancouver Urban Forestry)

By Jesse Batty

On Tuesday, Vancouver Urban Forestry held another TreeTalk workshop, this time on ‘Hazard Tree Risk Assessment.’

Native trees here in the Pacific Northwest, like Bigleaf Maple, Douglas-fir, Western Redcedar and Oregon White Oak, among others, are designed to withstand wind.

Trees that fail and fall are those that have shown some signs of stress and are most often hazard trees.  Homeowners can look for signs of stress in their trees by looking for indicators such as decayed wood, mushrooms, cracks, root problems, weak branch unions, cankers and dead limbs.

(more…)

Filed under: Neighborhood Trees, Portland Canopy, Tree City USA
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Tags: Bigleaf Maple, Douglas Fir, Oregon White Oak, Vancouver, Western Redcedar

Kate Farrington--NT staffer--gettin' it done. (FOT file)

By Andy Meeks

Our Neighborhood Trees program relies upon volunteer neighborhood coordinators (NCs) who canvass their neighborhoods to convince their fellow homeowners to plant trees in their planting strips.

We have amazing NCs—passionate, dedicated, and persuasive–but it’s not often that a neighborhood planting exceeds our sales expectations.

Case in point: This weekend’s planting event in the East Portland neighborhoods of Centennial, Mill Park and Hazelwood. At the beginning of planting season, our hope for these three neighborhoods was to plant 50 trees. But like so many before us, we underestimated East Portland.

This Saturday 106 trees are going to be planted, thanks to the amazing work of Hazelwood NC Vinette Kennedy-Scott and Friends of Trees’ very own Kate Farrington!

However, since we had not planned on nearly that many trees, we need more planting volunteers!

(more…)

Filed under: Neighborhood Trees
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Tags: planting

This photo, captured last week, depicts trees in peril on N. Willams Ave., just north of Pix Patisserie. (FOT file)

What used to be an old auto shop that also sold lawn mowers outside (see Google map) is now gone, leaving only a miniature earth moving machine and some trees in peril.

As the picture captured last week indicates, several of the trees have already been damaged on North Williams Ave., just north of Pix Patisserie.

The construction company name accredited to the project site is Jean Pierre Veillet Site Works. Several calls to them this week have gone unanswered.

Does anyone know what this new project will be on the popular bike thoroughfare? Have the trees already been removed?

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Portland Canopy
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Tags: bike

Characters in Avatar study the massive Hometree. (James Cameron)

There is a Hometree, a Tree of Souls, and even a Tree of Life.

Who knew the most popular, highest grossing film of all time would be about trees?

Friends of Trees is proud to endorse Avatar as its tree movie of the year.

Any idea what type of species that Hometree is?

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Tree City Earth
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Tags: art

This new video created by long-time volunteer and former staffer Chris Runyard depicts the importance of keeping plastics out of waterways.

As Runyard will tell you, Friends of Trees and its Green Space Initiative (GSI) program plant trees and shrubs in restoration areas, responsibly using plastic tubes and tape to increase plant survivability.

This planting season GSI is experimenting with a biodegradable flagging tape to see how it holds up, said GSI Manager Logan Lauvray.

Also, in reference to plastic tree tubes that protect young saplings, GSI did not need to purchase any new tubes this season because of its policy of retrieving and reusing tubes from older plant sites.

Planting trees and protecting shared waterways is important work, as is educating us all on the best practices for doing so. Great video Chris!

–Toshio Suzuki

Filed under: Green Space Initiative, Portland Canopy
2 Comments »

Tags: planting, runoff, video

An illustration of the planned Sahara Forest Project test facility. (National Geographic)

A group of investors is planning to build a green oasis in a desert this year and are naming it the Sahara Forest Project, according to National Geographic.

The project is meant to create not only a green oasis in the desert, but also a completely sustainable living model that provides its own energy and food.

Trees would be used to trap carbon while also “restoring any natural forest cover that has been lost to drought and timber harvesting.”

As of yet, Friends of Trees has not been contacted regarding any such plantings.

Can trees really survive in the Sahara, or any other desert climate?

–Toshio Suzuki