Katsura Heritage Tree in Laurelhurst Park (Phyllis Reynolds)
By Phyllis Reynolds
Portland has two katsura Heritage Trees: one at 1132 SW Vista Ave. and the other in Laurelhurst Park. The West Side tree has a known planting date—1955 (so let’s say it’s about 60 years old). The East Side tree (near the horseshoe area in the southeast corner of the park) has an unknown planting date, as far as I know, but it must have been around 1955 because its size (11’7” circumference and 70’ height) is so similar to the West Side tree (12’4” circumference and about 60’ height). Both of them were planted way before katsuras became so popular in the city.
The katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) is in the Order Saxifragales—a primitive Order, phylogenetically speaking. This Order includes the Hamamelidaceae (hazels), the Altingiaceae (sweetgums), and the Cercidiphyllaceae (with only one species: Cercidiphyllum japonicum). Katsuras are native to the temperate forests of Japan, China, and Korea. They can become large in the wild—up to 90’ tall. They have excellent timber that is much used in wood carving and high-class furniture.
Small heart-shaped leaves with red petioles identify the tree. It is dioecious (each tree is either a male or a female). The Vista Ave. tree is a boy and the Laurelhurst Park tree is a girl. The flower and fruit are inconspicuous. Often possessing several trunks, the tree has gorgeous fall foliage—a mix of orange and yellow (much like its distant relative the sweetgum).
In a forest you can find trees so massive that, no matter how many steps you take backwards, you might never see the tops. Sunlight filters down through their canopy giving just enough light, and darkness, to inspire new flora and fauna to push up through the mossy ground and stretch their branches to the sky. Some call these trees that establish the delicate balance of a healthy forest Mother Trees.
Oak Mother Tree in Oregon Forest
Mother Trees’ large root networks form a thick blanket that bridges all life in the forest. Root systems reach out and form physical connections sharing nutrients between plant species. These networks facilitate amazingly diverse plant life, and resiliency builds throughout the forest.
Setting the stage for the evolution of the forest, the Mother Tree provides seeds for the future—each tiny capsule a replica of herself, to nourish the forest floor with food and life.
On Sunday, April 29, Friends of Trees volunteer leaders and staff gathered at our office for our annual end-of-season Volunteer Potluck & Awards celebration. Staff members gathered with crew leaders, neighborhood coordinators, and office volunteers to celebrate one another, as well as the completion of a very successful planting season.
Chris Canida: 2011-12 Volunteer of the Year
In addition to enjoying a wide array of tasty foods and beverages, we had raffle giveaways, tree games, the ever-popular four square game, and, of course, our volunteer awards ceremony.
We unveiled a brand new award this season called The Conan Award. It was created to recognize those crew leaders who lead crews for the Neighborhood Trees and Green Space Initiative programs and who set themselves apart from this exclusive group with their leadership skills and sustained dedication. Named in honor of Conan Harmon-Walker, a leader among leaders at Friends of Trees.
Conan Harmon-Walker and Kenny Symonds: The Conan Award
Here we honor our most dedicated volunteers who excelled in their roles and helped make Friends of Trees an even stronger and better organization. They deserve our sincere gratitude and appreciation for their sustained and dedicated efforts:
Chris Canida—Volunteer of the Year Forest Tanier-Gesner—Neighborhood Trees Crew Leader of the Year Sonny Newson—Green Space Initiative Crew Leader of the Year Kenny Symonds—The Conan Award Jeff Kisseloff—Neighborhood Trees Rookie of the Year Neva Knott—Green Space Initiative Rookie of the Year Wendy Gehring—Office Volunteer of the Year Westside Vancouver—Neighborhood Group of the Year
Neighborhood coordinators representing these neighborhoods are: Sue Bluestein (Hough), Susan Sanders (Carter Park), Claire Beagle (Edgewood Park), Cynthia Thornton-Tang, Glenn Dollar (Lincoln), Catherine Cannon (Shumway)
A crew of planters carries tools, kids and trees to planting strips in Eugene during Friends of Trees' Arbor Day Planting (Jessyca Burke)
Below are excerpts from a story about Eugene, Oregon’s trees in Audubon Magazine. It includes insights from Eugene Urban Forester Mark Snyder and Friends of Trees Eugene Director Erik Burke. Read the full story here.
… What’s happening above ground is only half the battle for Eugene’s urban forestry crew. “When I was a kid I thought tree roots went down to China,” Snyder says. He explains it’s a common misconception that tree roots grow down. In fact they grow out. The best way to imagine a tree’s root system is to think of a large, Bordeaux red wine glass, he says. The large, top portion is the crown of the tree and the stem is the trunk. “Think of that wine glass sitting on a big plate or a platter,” he says. He motions his upturned hand acting as this imaginary plate. This is the tree’s root system. “It’s all shallow,” he says. “Ninety five percent of the tree root system is in the top 18 to 24 inches of soil.” …
The nature of the root system also makes choosing a location to plant critical to a tree’s survival. “Right tree, right place,” says Erik Burke, Eugene’s director for the Friends of Trees program, reciting the mantra of many a tree organization. Where a tree is planted should determine what species would be the best fit. Planting a tree in a place with less than four feet between the sidewalk and the curb, what urban arborists call the planting strip, is virtually impossible. There’s a city-approved street tree list that determines the size and species of tree that can be planted given its allotted planting strip size and soil type. …
