Don’t look now interstate highway, trees are coming
It has been four months since Metro unanimously approved the largest capital grant in its history to plant more than 2,000 trees along the I-205 multi-use path.
Now the planting sites are secure.
This three-year partnership, which involves Friends of Trees, Metro and ODOT, is worth over $400,000 and stems from the 2006 voter-approved measure 26-80, also known as the Natural Areas Bond Measure.
The program will be carried out by Friends of Trees’ Green Space Initiative, with about 150 four- to six-foot trees planted at each site.
The highly-anticipated plantings begin this month and run through March of next year. Here are some ‘before’ photos (to view more, visit our Flickr site):
Dec. 19, SE Yamhill & 94th
Jan. 9, 2010, NE Marine Dr. & 112th Ave.
Jan. 23, 2010, 10600 NE Holman St.
Feb. 20, 2010, SE Pardee & 94th Ave.
March 6, 2010, SE Flavel & 92nd Ave. (Johnson Creek)
March 20, 2010, SE Hawthorne & 95th Ave.
To learn more about volunteering opportunities for these plantings, visit the Friends of Trees Web site. More information regarding the history of how the I-205 plantings came about and our online calendar are also available.
–Toshio Suzuki
Trees are good. Heaved pavement from tree roots is bad. It is common knowledge that root barriers work to prevent roots from damaging pavement. This solution is inexpensive, low tech, proven and needed. Do not plant trees without installing root barriers.
Thanks for the comment and good point, Bob.
As far as the I-205 planting sites, we worked with planners from Metro and ODOT during this process. Root barriers were considered and deemed unnecessary for these sites, due to the distance to infrastructure.
Do you know of similar projects where root barriers were used?
Just posted an awesome blog about Friends of Trees on the CafeGive blog and Facebook page (also posted it on the Friends of Trees Facebook page as well). Check it out here: http://cafegiveblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/friends-of-trees-growing-on-cafegive.html
Jenna
San Diego, California, has a list of approved trees, and tells which ones require root barriers. I’m sure other jurisdictions have approved lists, to prevent the beautiful trees from destroying the hardscape infrastructure.
It’s good to hear other municipalities are aware of tree benefits and wary of pitfalls. Friends of Trees, ODOT and Metro specialists deemed root barriers unnecessary for this project due to the extreme distance of planting sites from the actual bike path.
Thanks for the comment, Peter. You have a link to that S.D. list?
I’m a tree-hugger and a bike-lover, but the two are a bad mix unless one is talking single-track MTB.
1. Roots break pavement; this is both uncomfortable and dangerous.
2. Sap, shed needles, broadleaves seriously diminish traction and so impair stability and braking.
3. Variation of deep shade and bright sunlight impairs vision, increasing probability of collisions among users.
4. Should one be forced to depart the path at even modest speed trees are injurious obstacles.
Friends of Trees obviously has not thought through its desire to “beautify” the very well designed replacement for the old I-205 path south of Division Street. The new path is beautifully landscaped already in places where landscaping is appropriate; it is like riding through nice open meadows, up hill and down dale. In other places it is unashamedly industrial, running across bridges, through tunnels, alongside the catenary cables bringing power to the speeding trains below. TriMet took great care to integrate cycle access with platforms and the communities they serve, as at Foster-Lents, in very pleasing manners.
This organization’s enthuiasm is commendable and vital. But trees are not the answer to every problem. The primary purpose of a bikeway is safe, efficient, pleasant tansportation. Trees closer that 50 feet–no matter what species–are serious and dangerous immpediments to those primary functions.
Thanks for the comment, Jim. We have a bike-centric office over here and certainly have no intention of doing anything that might put Portlanders in harm’s way.
All are welcome to come check out one of our several upcoming I-205 plantings, and see with their own eyes the safe planting locations we have chosen, with help from Metro and ODOT.
Here is our planting schedule: http://www.friendsoftrees.org/calendar
[...] Don’t look now interstate highway, trees are coming [...]
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