The online ticket agent says there are only three seats remaining for this exciting event Saturday at the Mount Pisgah Arboretum in Eugene.

Two of the forest canopy scientists that contributed to last October’s National Geographic will be presenting on their latest research that pertains to some of the world’s largest trees.

The event, which starts at 5 p.m. and costs $7, is dubbed as a “breathtaking presentation” and will include information on tall tree biology, climate change, canopy ecology and more.

‘Life in the World’s Tallest Trees: An Evening with Renowned Forest Canopy Scientists Stephen Sillett and Robert Van Pelt’ is also linked to the arboretum’s annual membership meeting.

If interested, act fast on the remaining tickets.

–Toshio Suzuki

As part of Saturday's Gresham Tree Forum, the city has been hiding 100th birthday medallions in city trees all month. (City of Gresham)

Gresham’s Tree Forum starts Saturday at 9 a.m. at City Hall with an open house on the benefits of trees.

Forum speakers and participants include long-time Friends of Trees volunteer Jim Gersbach, who will be presenting on the values of street and yard trees.

Nancy Buley and Keith Warren of J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.—a long-time Friends of Trees sponsor—will also be participating in the event.

There will also be an arboretum street tree design activity for Gradin Sports Park.

The event runs until 12 p.m., with refreshments being provided in between all of the events.

For more details, call the City of Gresham’s Tina Osterink at 503-618-2392 or e-mail her at tina.osterink@GreshamOregon.gov.

–Toshio Suzuki

Amelia is pulled by her father and Friends of Trees Board Member Paul Garrahan. In the background is their 1986 Volvo 240, which the Garrahans donated to Friends of Trees last year. (Garrahan Family)

By Paul Garrahan

I bought my old Volvo used, five years old, around the same age as many of the trees we plant. I subsequently drove it for 19 years.

It took me hiking, camping, biking and running. I slid through snowstorms in it. I prevailed through law school with it. I worked on political campaigns with it.

Amelia, 4, sits above her dad, Paul, at last summer's Friends of Trees Volunteer Picnic. (FOT file)

It came across country with my wife and me (alas, ferried by a friend on a wild ride through Colorado, Utah and California). I shuttled my kids in it as babies and for their preschool years.

It was part of me.

So, needless to say, when it came time to part with it, and to move to a more environmentally-friendly hybrid, it was a bittersweet moment.

Its book value was a fraction of its sentimental value.

By donating the car to Friends of Trees, I feel like I was able to reap some karmic return on my sentimental investment. It closed the loop on a car I loved for many, many years—having its final value (admittedly, not much) transferred to an organization I love.

And, ultimately, back into trees.

More information on the Friends of Trees vehicle donation program is available online.

Garrahan is an attorney for  Metro and Friends of Trees Board Member.

]]> http://friendsoftrees.org/blog/2010/03/10/turning-the-family-car-back-into-trees/feed/ 0 http://friendsoftrees.org/blog/2010/03/10/volunteer-in-march-with-friends-of-trees/ http://friendsoftrees.org/blog/2010/03/10/volunteer-in-march-with-friends-of-trees/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:55:01 +0000 Toshios http://friendsoftrees.org/blog/?p=2098

By Greg Tudor

There is still time to volunteer, like the dozens of Portland residents who did this past Saturday at the Neighborhood Trees (NT) planting in Montavilla and Mt. Tabor.

March is the last full month of plantings, with 10 more Saturday plantings remaining.

No pre-registration is required, but remember to wear weather appropriate clothing and sturdy shoes. We still need extra help on the following dates:

1. What: NT planting in the the Portland neighborhoods of Argay, Parkrose, Parkrose Heights, Russell, Sumner and Wilkes.

When: March 13, 8:45 a.m.—1 p.m.

Where: Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 12505 Northeast Halsey Street

2. What: NT planting in the Portland neighborhoods of Alameda and Irvington

When: March 13, 8:45 a.m.—1 p.m.

Where: Friends of Trees, 3117 NE ML King, Jr. Blvd.

3. What: Green Space Initiative (GSI) planting along the I-205 Multi-Use Path

When: March 20, 8:45 a.m.—1 p.m.

Where: SE Hawthorne & 95th

4. What: NT planting in the Portland neighborhoods of Cully, Madison South, Rose City Park and Roseway

When: March 20, 8:45 a.m.—1 p.m.

Where: World of Life Community Church, 4927 Northeast 55th Ave.

–Tudor is the volunteer and outreach manager for Friends of Trees: 503-282-8846 ext. 12; gregt@FriendsofTrees.org

Lovie Sanders planting along the I-205 Multi-Use Path. (Kimberly Dinwiddie, ODOT)

By Kimberly Dinwiddie

When most teenagers get their first job, the feeling of freedom and independence is exciting and memorable, although often times the job itself is less exciting. For 16-year-old Lovie Sanders this is not the case.

“This is my first job and I am ecstatic about it,” shared Sanders, whose new job is to guide volunteers in planting trees along the Interstate 205 Multi-Use Path. “I get to meet new people, and work with friends and people from all ages and backgrounds.”

Sanders is a student at Rosemary Anderson High School, a program of Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (Portland OIC)—an organization dedicated to helping at-risk youth engage in school and training.

“I like the small community. It allows me to focus and stay on track with my grades,” said Sanders.

Portland OIC recently joined in a unique partnership with Friends of Trees, ODOT and Metro to green the I-205 Multi-Use Path with thousands of trees and shrubs over a three-year period.

As part of the project, Portland OIC and other organizations including Verde, Portland Development Commission, and Worksystems, Inc. have created 16 green jobs and are expanding environmental education to under-served and minority communities.

Sanders said she eventually wants to become a veterinarian assistant. She loves animals and has had many pets, including bunnies, dogs, pigeons and hamsters. She has also had over 52 cats in the course of her life—she takes them in, feeds them, and gets them neutered before giving the cats away to a good home.

In addition to planting trees and taking care of animals, Sanders said that she loves to sing and draw. One day she would like to take her artistic talents on the road along with her animals. For now, Sanders enjoys hanging out with friends, playing video games, reading, listening to music and writing poetry.

As for her current job through Portland OIC, Sanders said she never planted trees before. “I have done gardening with my Mom, but never planted trees,” she explained. “But I’m used to digging holes. When you have had as many pets as I have, you dig holes often.”

More information on the I-205 project is available, including this PGE video, this Friends of Trees video, and a comprehensive brochure.

–Dinwiddie works for the Oregon Department of Transporation

These trees next to the Friends of Trees downspout basin are drawing a lot of attention right now. (FOT file)

These tree tips, specific for the months of March and April, come courtesy of Collier Arbor Care, a Friends of Trees sponsor:

• Evaluate trees and prune, removing dead wood and maintaining structure
• Treat early blooming flowering and fruit trees, like peaches, plums, and cherries for disease problems
• Treat for leaf blight diseases on dogwood, sycamore and flowering trees
• Treat diseases on fruit trees like apple scab, brown rot and blossom blight on cherry trees
• Check trees for leaf-feeding caterpillars and treat if needed

The Klootchy Creek spruce is still 96 feet tall. (The Oregonian)

The Oregonian ran a small travel blog post yesterday about Oregon’s famous Klootchy Creek Spruce.

The main point: despite losing its upper half, the giant is still 96 feet tall and boasts the same 17-foot diameter.

The big spruce that lost its upper half in the notorious December 2007 wind storm is still a mighty big tree.

An excerpt:

The Klootchy Creek spruce, named for where it lived in Clatsop County, was the largest tree in Oregon and one of the oldest living things in the state.

It also was listed as a co-champion as the largest Sitka spruce in the United States, as recognized by American Forests, keeper of the National Tree Registry.

The Klootchy Creek spruce was the first Oregon Heritage Tree, a program started in 1995 that recognizes trees for their contribution to Oregon history and heritage.

Beneath a recent photo from The Oregonian are two photos of the same tree circa 1980, submitted by Stephen Peacock.

Pictured within the canopy about 30 years ago, Peacock is now a Portland urban forestry commissioner and local arborist.

Still 17 feet in diameter. (The Oregonian)

Can you find the high-climber within this giant spruce? (Stephen Peacock)

(Stephen Peacock)

(Stephen Peacock)

–Toshio Suzuki

While it’s best to leave the tree-climbing to the professionals and children, sometimes it makes for humorous skits, too.

What species is late-night host Jimmy Fallon in with Twilight star Robert Pattinson?

–Toshio Suzuki

An example of a skinny house built on a small lot in Portland. (northassoc.org)

Jeffrey Paul Fish is a local home developer who is a member of the Citywide Tree Project (CTP) stakeholder group. Fish Construction NW, Inc., started in 1973 and has since built close to 1,200 single family homes in the area. In 2004 the native Portlander was named the Home Building Association’s Builder of the Year and in 2008 he received their Lifetime Achievement Award.

FOT: Here are some of Fish’s comments on the CTP, edited for length and brevity:

I’m a little disappointed in the product that came out. I think it’s too restrictive in housing.

Especially on the small lot issue—you don’t have a lot of options on saving trees–I feel the policy is too restrictive.

FOT: Speaking on the issue of development on small lots and replacement trees, Fish said he’s concerned when Portland is compared to statistics from Baltimore or Austin, cities he says don’t have lots smaller than 5,000 square feet.

(The policy is) probably workable on the 10,000-square-foot lot, but when you get up into the smaller footprints, you get less and less to plant and preserve.

I don’t want to see a lot of loss of tree canopy—or any loss.

I can honestly say, in all the homes that I’ve built, I don’t know that we’ve ever lost a tree in a neighbor’s lot.

I try to save every tree. For the most part, builders leave trees.

FOT: The overall state of development and trees in the Portland-metro area:

We’re rapidly increasing the cost of affordable housing.

In accepting an urban growth boundary, you accept a little bit that we’re going to be denser in the city and have a little loss of trees to preserve that urban growth boundary.

I feel like some people want to have their cake and eat it too. I want people to be reasonable.

If the general public was concerned with canopy, the general public would plant more trees.

FOT: The prospect of success for the Citywide Tree Project:

Portland has a history of putting policy together to say they did something. I’m for putting this policy together to make it work.

I just hope we don’t pass something that’s bad policy just because people want policy.

Communication and trying to find something that works for both sides—that’s what’s going to make this work.

We have a dog in the fight, too.

The next opportunity for public discourse on the Citywide Tree Project is tonight, 7-9 p.m., at the Multnomah Arts Center. The next open house after that is March 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the Floyd Light Middle School.

Email, fax and regular mail comments will also be entered into the record. The email address: planningcommission@ci.portland.or.us The mail address: 1900 SW 4th Ave., Suite 7100, Portland, OR 97201 The fax number: 503-823-7855

–Toshio Suzuki

What's Flowering Now in your neighborhood? (FOT file)

By Greg Tudor

This picture, taken on March 6, shows a tree that is usually not associated with the Pacific Northwest (think Southern U.S.).

They do pretty well up here, however, and Friends of Trees has several different varieties for sale.

The white flowers on this one are lovely, but others of the same species can be yellow, pink or purple.
Think you know?

–Tudor is the volunteer and outreach manager for Friends of Trees: 503-282-8846 ext. 12; gregt@FriendsofTrees.org

Preserving street trees, like the ones on Northeast Knott, is only one component of the Citywide Tree Project. (The Oregonian)

A room of area residents representing various city bureaus, environmental conservation efforts, development efforts, neighborhood associations and professional arborists met last week to further discuss Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability’s (BPS) Citywide Tree Project (CTP).

Although many in the group seem unable to recollect the beginning of their ’stakeholder sessions,’ most easily admit the process has taken over a year.

With hundreds of pages written and all of the content available online, project manager Roberta Jortner said the project is past the development stage, and getting through the vetting process, entering the legislative arena.

The goal of the CTP is to distribute the equity of the urban forest to the city, said Jortner.

“Trees in the city are really a multi-billion dollar asset,” she said.

As the group shuffled through the 54 slides, they discussed and argued several specific elements for the entire project, which now has an estimated price tag between $800,000 and $2 million.

Funding for the CTP is a large issue, as many members of the group speculated that the city agencies involved (Portland Parks & Recreation, Bureau of Environmental Services) do not agree on where the money should come from, or even if funding is feasible.

Some hot points deliberated:

• fixing the complex regulation of trees in the city, ideally housing all tree code for multiple bureaus within one document
• how ‘priority’ trees can be removed on development sites, and payment plans for remittance
• assessing tree density goals for development procedures and tree replacement protocol
• programmatic permits
• peer review for Portland Urban Forestry reports

The next opportunity for public discourse on these topics and many others is tomorrow, 7-9 p.m., at the Multnomah Arts Center. The next open house after that is March 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the Floyd Light Middle School.

–Toshio Suzuki

]]> http://friendsoftrees.org/blog/2010/03/08/stakeholders-heat-up-over-tree-project-agenda/feed/ 0 http://friendsoftrees.org/blog/2010/03/08/bicycling-for-the-love-of-trees-and-water/ http://friendsoftrees.org/blog/2010/03/08/bicycling-for-the-love-of-trees-and-water/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:42:24 +0000 Toshios http://friendsoftrees.org/blog/?p=2040

Tree, stakes, mulch, tools and even his son Rhys fit into Richard Greensted's bike cart Saturday at the Neighborhood Trees planting. (Renee Garrels)

By Teri Ruch

Mix about 20 bicycles, a dozen carts and trailers, 190 big trees, planting tools, the perfect pre-spring morning and 75 volunteers—from babies to boomers—and what do you get?

A fun planting day that ended with a community potluck and new trees to clean our rivers, add shade to neighborhoods, and make our air healthier. Forty of the 190 trees planted Saturday, many weighing 200 pounds each, were carried by bicycle along with tools, stakes and mulch.

“It shows that Portland is a great city when people roll up their sleeves to plant trees together,” City Commissioner Dan Saltzman told Friends of Trees volunteers before they set out in teams to plant. “You are in the frontline of the effort to clean our rivers. We need trees to keep stormwater out of our sewer system.”

The Friends of Trees planting in the Montavilla and Mt. Tabor neighborhoods was part of two Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) efforts to curb stormwater runoff: the Tabor to the River project, with a goal to improve the Brooklyn Creek Basin from Mt. Tabor to the Willamette using sewer enhancements, green stormwater management and tree plantings; and the five-year Grey to Green Initiative (G2G), launched last year to green the city’s greyscape by adding more ecoroofs, bioswales, restored natural areas and trees.

As a partner in G2G, Friends of Trees is helping the city reach its goal of planting 83,000 street and yard trees in five years. Last year the nonprofit planted more street and yard trees than in any previous year of its 20-year history, and this year Friends of Trees hopes to double that number.

From left, Naomi Tsurumi of BES, Commissioner Saltzman, Nancy Buley of J. Frank Schmidt Nursery, and Friends of Trees Executive Director Scott Fogarty. (FOT file)

Friends of Trees’ model offers homeowners both quality trees at affordable prices and organized community plantings, which give people a vested interest in their trees and ensures that two things grow at the same time: the city’s tree cover and its corps of tree-planting citizens.

Friends of Trees Executive Director Scott Fogarty emphasized this point when he told the planting volunteers on March 6, “You’re making a statement today by planting trees for the greater good.”

Friends of Trees board member Nancy Buley, who directs marketing for J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., which sponsored Saturday’s planting, encouraged the planters to “pick up a pen” as well as a shovel. She’s been advocating in D.C. for more funding for trees. “We need to get political about trees,” she said.

Some of the younger planters, however, seemed happy just to be outside planting.

“Rhys and I had an amazing day,” said Richard Greensted, who carried mulch, stakes, tools and his son Rhys by bicycle to the places where his bike team planted.

“Spending quality time with my son, getting some exercise, and helping keep our rivers clean—what a great way to spend a day,” he said. “Before I had a chance to ask Rhys what he thought about the tree planting, he was asking me about when the next planting was!”

–Ruch is the communications director for Friends of Trees: terir@FriendsofTrees.org; 503-282-8846 ext. 17

This new Mercedes Benz campaign, dubbed the Tree of Innovation, debuted Sunday for the Oscars. (Merkley and Partners)

The biggest news from an awards show last night: The Tree of Innovation from Mercedes Benz.

The advertisement featured a 250-year-old tree that may or may not also be a hybrid automobile manufacturer.

Any other ‘tree’ moments from last night? Leafiest dress…?

–Toshio Suzuki

This tree next to the Friends of Trees downspout basin is drawing a lot of attention right now. (FOT file)

Today is March 5, and outside in Portland there are thousands of flowering trees and shrubs like this one outside the Friends of Trees office.

Who knows what it is?

What other species are flowering right now in your neighborhood?

From shrubs to trees, send us your timely photos of what is blossoming now where you are.

–Toshio Suzuki

There are 14 plantings remaining, Saturdays through April 10. (FOT file)

Tomorrow’s area plantings will be nothing short of spectacular.

Both programs will be operating at three simultaneous plantings with all the intangible elements working together: a great weather forecast; celebrity speakers; high-profile planting locations; and the typical laundry list of giving back to the community with a little exercise and free food thrown in.

The Neighborhood Trees (NT) planting in Montavilla & Mt. Tabor will be yet another Plant by Bike event (video below) with special guest planters Scott Fogarty, executive director of Friends of Trees, and Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman.

The fun kicks off before 9 a.m. at the Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church.

Also in Southeast Portland on Flavel St., at the same time, Friends of Trees and its Green Space Initiative (GSI) program will be continuing its tree-planting project along the I-205 Multi-Use Path in partnership with ODOT, Metro and others. With hundreds of large trees planted already in several connecting neighborhoods, this is the second-to-last opportunity to plant along the path this season.

And for those weekend warriors living east of I-205, GSI is offering another opportunity to renew the Johnson Creek Watershed near Clatsop Butte City Park.

A big day of plantings with one unified message: getting a little dirty on a Saturday morning can be the best way to start the weekend.

As usual, everything is provided and all are welcome, just dress appropriately and try to arrive on time.

–Toshio Suzuki

Six giant Black Walnut trees were felled yesterday on the Oregon State Hospital campus in Salem to make room for power lines and an improved intersection, reported The Statesman Journal.

The trees were estimated to be between 75 and 100 years old.

Excerpt from the story:

Cuong Manh Nguyen took a break from his business, Center Street Auto Services, to express his complaint.
“Oh man, why are they cutting down the trees?” he asked. “I need those trees to cool down my shop in the summer. Now, I’m losing all my shade.”
After working at the auto shop for 25 years, Nguyen said it was tough to deal with the sudden loss of the towering trees.
“I’m really disappointed,” he said. “They’re not bothering anybody. It seems like such a waste.”

Thanks to EarthShare Oregon for the story link.

–Toshio Suzuki

Main Street in Milwaukie. Trees about this size and adjacent to Main Street were removed recently, according to The Portland Tribune.

The Portland Tribune reported yesterday that several large street trees in downtown Milwaukie were cut down recently in an effort to improve the block.

Google street imaging allows one to see the precise trees in question and their full size.

Here is the news brief:

TriMet and Milwaukie cut down several trees along Jackson Street between 21st and Main streets to make way for a improvements to the area. The city and transit agency are partnering on a stimulus project to improve the block, making it more friendly for pedestrian and transit users.

Officials expect to break ground in May, but the trees were cut down earlier to avoid disturbing migratory birds. The city said the Oak trees that were cut down had been damaged by pruning and were starting to lift the sidewalks.

Contractors will plant nine new street trees they say are more appropriate for the location, a Red Sunset maple and eight Skyline Honey-locusts. They will also plant seven accent trees, including five Dogwoods and two Pacific crabapples.

–Toshio Suzuki

This partnership with a local business helps Friends of Trees plant via its Gift Trees program. (CascadeWebDevelopment.com)

Friends of Trees and Cascade Web Development have entered a partnership that aims to give back to business clients by planting trees.

The local Web solutions company will donate a tree via Friends of Trees and its Gift Trees program to every new client they receive for their content management system, called Evergreen.

“This is a great partnership because it allows Friends of Trees to connect with local businesses in a green, tree-planting way,” said Melissa Barber, associate director of membership services.

Cascade Web Development can be reached at 503-517-2700.

Did we mention their office is in an old Milwaukee Road Railcar stationed near OMSI?

–Toshio Suzuki

Jim Labbe, Audubon Society of Portland, next to the finished project of a street tree planting in Nijmegen, Netherlands. (jim-labbe.travellerspoint.com)

An urban conservationist for the Audubon Society of Portland circulated a tree-related post from his travel blog that highlights a street tree planting in Nijmegen, Netherlands.

Here is an excerpt from Jim Labbe’s post:

In October, when I arrived at my first rental place along Hatertseweg, city workers were tearing up the street a few blocks away. No big surprise really. The Dutch are always repairing, reconstructing, and most the time improving their public right-of-ways.

But this particular reconstruction job got my attention. The workers had constructed massive underground planter boxes between the street and the cycle path.

(Jim Labbe)

(Jim Labbe)

(Jim Labbe)

(Jim Labbe)

Labbe’s travel blog has postings from all across Europe, with topics ranging from green rooftops in Switzerland to dancing the tango at a gas station.

–Toshio Suzuki

Street swales, like this one on Southeast Division, have been going in for several years all over Portland. (sierraclub.org)

It has been a few years now and Portland continues to develop its infrastructure of street swales and curb extensions.

The Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) developed and is implementing these runoff-collecting tools along Portland’s streets in an effort to keep the Willamette River cleaner.

Runoff collects in a swale in the Hollywood District. (The Oregonian)

Street swales and curb extensions are also the next generation of street tree planters, combining both the tree-planting and storm water initiatives of the city’s Grey to Green (G2G) initiative.

On Southeast Ankeny Street—the popular east-west bike avenue—BES is about to finish the Oak B Sewer Project, which saw Queen Elizabeth Hedge Maples, American Hornbeams and Black Tupelos planted in the next generation planters.

The bureau works off of an approved tree list when planting in swales or extensions, but everything’s on a trial basis, said Jeremy Person of BES who worked on the sewer project.

“We’ve been doing sewer pipes for 100 years now,” said Person, “We’ve been doing swales—big time—for maybe two, three years now.”

What types of trees do you think would be best for Portland urban street swales or curb extensions?

–Toshio Suzuki

Volunteers finish up the final steps of planting a street tree last Saturday in Vancouver. (Cynthia Thornton-Tang)

Friends of Trees and its Neighborhood Trees program planted 175 street and yard trees in Vancouver Feb. 27.

Over 100 volunteers came to the multi-neighborhood planting, which was sponsored by Northwest Natural.

This was the third of four Vancouver plantings scheduled this season, with the next and final event coming March 20—a planting for the Burton Ridge, Fircrest, Marrion, Oakbrook and Ogden neighborhoods.

Friends of Trees has several Saturday plantings remaining this season on its schedule.

Special thanks to Neighborhood Coordinator Cynthia Thornton-Tang for the planting photos, which include all stages of the event and even what appears to be an avant-garde dance from Friends of Trees staffers (photo No. 37 of 55).

–Toshio Suzuki

Brian French and Will Koomjain of Ascending the Giants will speak at the free lecture from 7-8:30 p.m. on their non-confrontational approach to Old Growth conservation and advocacy.

They are tree climbers, filmmakers, researchers, and they are also the state coordinators for the Oregon Big Tree Registry, certainly an important undertaking for a state with so many champion trees.

March 9, The Audubon Society of Portland, 7-8:30 p.m.

Speaking of giant trees, see this video last year from National Geographic?

–Toshio Suzuki

The Portland Urban Forestry mailbox at their Delta Park location. (FOT file)

Portland Urban Forestry is offering two internships, one to start this month and another in June.

The unpaid intern will work for a duration of 300 hours on a variety of projects, like street tree inventory, canopy measurement, mapping, outreach and communications.

This Americorps position will provide a $1,000 educational stipend upon successful completion. The only potential downside: interns will likely have to work typical urban forestry hours, which are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Contact Angie DiSalvo at angie.disalvo@ci.portland.or.us for more information or visit this PDF.

And of course, Friends of Trees has various internship opportunities available year-round.

–Toshio Suzuki

A Salem man detonated explosives in an attempt to remove this tree last week. (Statesman Journal)

The Statesman Journal in Salem got national attention last week after a man reportedly used explosives to remove a tree.

Besides charges of disorderly conduct, possession of illegal fireworks and unlawful manufacture of a destructive device, Zachary Leone, 19, will likely face additional charges, as a search warrant has been issued for his home, according to the Associated Press and The L.A. Times.

“There will be more charges,” Sgt. Mark Garton of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office told the Statesman Journal. How many more charges depends on how many manufactured destructive devices the Salem Police Bomb Squad find in the home, Garton said.

Diana Hill, who lives across the street from Leone, said the teen stopped by her house earlier that afternoon and told her to expect some noise because he was going to take a tree out from his yard.

Hill said she asked how he was going to take the tree out.

“And he says: ‘I’m going to blow it up.’ … We didn’t think he was actually going to do that,” she said.

Although no injuries were reported in this instance, tree removal can be dangerous. Friends of Trees suggests all tree-owners contact their local urban forestry representatives when contemplating the removal of a tree. If removal is approved, the next step is to find a certified arborist.

–Toshio Suzuki

–Toshio Suzuki

Students at Harold Oliver Elementary School plant trees Feb. 19. (Barbara Hicks)

By Kris Day

Ned Sodja, a 20-year veteran tree inspector for Portland Urban Forestry, agreed to take the editor of this blog on a ride-along last Thursday. (FOT file)

Sometimes the street tree inspection is done before the pickup truck is parked.

That’s what comes with 20 years of experience as a Portland Urban Forestry tree inspector.

Ned Sodja, one of eight urban forestry inspectors for Portland, is responsible for all residential street tree removal inspections in Southeast Portland.

Dealing with street tree removals—both fining for illegal removals and issuing permits for approved removals—Sodja often finds himself using his people skills as much as his tree knowledge.

“As an area inspector you gotta have a broad knowledge of trees, then you gotta communicate well, then you gotta be well-versed in customer service,” said Sodja.

As far as fines for violations go, Sodja, like a police officer, has some leeway for discretionary calls.

“Most of the time I won’t fine them but they’ll have to do something,” said Sodja, referring to the costs of properly replacing a street tree.

Ned Sodja's Portland Urban Forestry truck stops in front of topped trees on Southeast Woodstock. "Everywhere you go they're topped," lamented Sodja. "Drives me crazy." (FOT file)

Portland street trees are planted in the strips between curbs and roads, an area owned by the city but the responsibility of home or business owners.

This fact is a common reason why unknowing citizens can be fined up to thousands of dollars for removing a  street tree.

Upon paying the $35 application that gets Sodja on the scene for an inspection, the main criteria for removal is if the tree is dead, dying or dangerous.

At his first stop last Thursday, the street tree was an excellent candidate for removal because it was topped for utility lines, had chopped roots that had previously necessitated a sidewalk replacement, and most importantly, it was leaning precariously.

“If this tree had a big canopy it already would of fallen into the street,” remarked Sodja, also spotting decay in the tree. “This is a pretty easy call.”

With that decision, Sodja spray paints a small dot on the curb indicating the best location for a replacement tree, and then returns to his cab to take notes.

Taking off one of his four pairs of sunglasses in the cab, Sodja explained that being a city employee is often what supports his decision-making process.

“It’s all liability—how can I alleviate liability for the city,” he explained. “Everything I do out here I got to justify.”

At a later stop in Eastmoreland, Sodja listened to homeowners upset with a PGE blanket permit that called for the topping of old trees that came in contact with high-voltage power lines.

While sympathetic with upset homeowners, Sodja could find no fault with the utility company that is mandated by the Public Utilities Commission to cut the trees, nor could he blame the young men contracted to do the sawing and pruning.

“The lines were here way before the trees,” said Sodja. “They never should of planed these types of trees here.

“Sometimes reaching the middle ground is hard to do.”

Sodja, who also handles the entire nursery order for Portland Urban Forestry, works actively with an Eastmoreland tree association, making extra stops on his route to mark potential planting sites.

Noting his favorite street trees as the Green Vase Zelkova, the beech and the Tschonoski crab apple, Sodja supports tree plantings mainly because he knows, perhaps better than anyone else, trees don’t live forever.

“The maturity of Portland’s urban forest is getting too old,” said Sodja. “That’s why it’s good Friends of Trees started planting when it did.”

–Toshio Suzuki

Ned Sodja, a 20-year veteran tree inspector with Portland Urban Forestry, talks us through a tree removal inspection in Eastmoreland during a Friends of Trees ride-along yesterday.

Check back with the blog on Monday for an in-depth feature on the ride-along that will include the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of residential tree removal in Portland.

–Toshio Suzuki

A team of planters at a Vancouver planting from 2008. (Brian Black)

There are 14 Friends of Trees plantings remaining this season, from this Saturday through April 10.

As of Feb. 26, thanks to volunteers, donors, partners and sponsors, Friends of Trees has planted 11,310 trees and shrubs in the Portland Metropolitan area. That equates to over 386,000 trees and shrubs in 20 years!

A staggering tree tally that will surely grow in the coming Saturdays.

Friends of Trees plants several species of fruit trees. (Brian Black)

This past Saturday in Vancouver, Northwest Natural sponsored a large Neighborhood Trees (NT) planting and continued their tradition of providing an amazing post-planting meal.

Last year it was chili; this year it was hamburgers, garden burgers, chips, fruits, drinks and desserts, according to Valerie White, spokesperson for NW Natural.

“It provides an opportunity to give back to the community as well as allow our employees a volunteer opportunity,” said White.

Also, in Wilsonville, Friends of Trees planted trees and shrubs in Memorial Park via its Green Space Initiative (GSI) program.

GSI has two more plantings along the I-205 Multi-Use Path, two more in Forest Park, and one each in Tualatin and along the Johnson Creek Watershed.

So, remember the rules: all are welcome—and come out to a Friends of Trees planting before the season is over!

–Toshio Suzuki

MillionTreesNYC has the goal of planting, well, one million trees by 2017. Here is a unique planter in the city. (Maisel/News)

• The New York Daily News offered this update yesterday on the MillionTreesNYC project, including space to relay the benefits street trees provide:

Since October of 2007, MillionTreesNYC has planted over 300,000 trees of which 165,000 have been located in New York City’s forests – the result of a partnership with Natural Resources Group. NRG is the non-profit organization founded by Bette Midler that is committed to reclaiming and restoring City parks, community gardens and open space.

Strips in S.F. are being created and expanded for street trees. (Design Ingenuity)

• Two nonprofits in San Francisco are working to expand greenery in the city by creating open plazas and generally providing more space for street trees.

Pavement to Parks and Friends of the Urban Forest are collaborating with several city agencies to initiate public laboratory projects where the potential of selected locations is tested as permanently reclaimed open space, according to the Pavement to Parks Web site.

San Francisco ’s streets and public rights-of-way make up fully 25% of the city’s land area, more space even than is found in all of the city’s parks. Many of our streets are excessively wide and contain large zones of wasted space, especially at intersections.

In the last two weeks, residents in one S.F. neighborhood were able to mark their desired locations for tree planter expansions, or more often, completely new street tree sites.

Here are some examples of built projects from Pavement to Parks.

Any proposals for similar projects in Portland? Site suggestions?

–Toshio Suzuki