the power of trees in NoPo

Friends of Trees has worked in North Portland for 25 years—gathering volunteers to work side by side planting thousands of trees along neighborhood streets, in yards and at schools.

However, we see that the diversity of property owners participating in our program doesn’t reflect the diversity of these neighborhoods in which we’re planting.

We’re excited to announce that we’ve received a grant from Metro’s North Portland Enhancement Grant program that will help us more effectively communicate, work and build relationships across North Portland. The $18,000 grant will allow Friends of Trees to work with the Center for Diversity and the Environment to conduct an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Session. The result will be a plan to better engage all residents of North Portland, both for the health of those neighborhoods and because our own organization’s health depends on it.

By expanding our circle of influence to serve more diverse communities, we can extend the long-term benefits of trees to all North Portland neighbors. Those benefits include lower crime rates, lower energy bills, better air quality, increased property values and stronger community pride and connections. That’s the power of trees!

“This project provides a great opportunity for an influential conservation organization to model taking effective steps towards equity, diversity, and inclusion in one of the most diverse regions in our state,” said J. Marcelo Bonta, Executive Director for the Center for the Diversity and the Environment.

Thank you, Metro, for caring about these important issues and empowering Friends of Trees to be a leader in this effort. This is one of two grants from Metro that is broadening the reach of restoration projects to diverse communities.