You’ve probably seen him on a Saturday morning in a bright orange vest with a Friends of Trees logo on the back. Or on wet days, in a yellow slicker. You may have even planted on his crew.

Now Attorney General John Kroger has appointed Friends of Trees’ decade-long crew leader and former board member Paul Garrahan as Special Counsel to the Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources. In that role, Paul will undoubtedly carry on the work he began at Metro and furthered as a dedicated volunteer at Friends of Trees.

Before assuming his new position with the Attorney General’s office, Paul was Senior Attorney at Metro, where he served as lead attorney for the Natural Areas Acquisition Program and provided advice for several environmental programs. Last month he stepped down as a Friends of Trees board member, where he’d served for eight years in many capacities, including board president and vice president.

During those eight years, Paul saw the organization through tough times, including the post 9/11 years and the current economic downturn.

“It has been an exceptional honor to have served on the FOT board for the last eight years,” Paul said. “To see how financially stable and well-positioned the organization is today compared to where it was when I started on the board is extremely gratifying. It was an honor to have had the chance to play a small role in that transformation.”

Paul started volunteering with Friends of Trees as a neighborhood coordinator a decade ago, when he experienced first-hand the excitement of helping his neighbors plant trees and the “amazing bonus” of watching his neighbors form friendships as they planted together and shared a potluck afterward.

He’s also been a crew leader for a decade, and he plans to continue in that role as time allows.

Paul’s “dedication and commitment as a board member, crew leader, neighborhood coordinator, donor and advocate is unparalleled and greatly appreciated,” said Friends of Trees Executive Director Scott Fogarty. “We’re grateful for everything he’s done for Friends of Trees.”

Friends of Trees staff and volunteers look forward to watching Paul continue helping the environment in his new role. We also look forward to fun, dirty and possibly wet weekend mornings of planting trees together this fall!

–TR

Yesterday Friends of Trees’ Brighton West joined Angelica on the evening news to give Channel 2 viewers tree pruning tips for small trees.

How much more time does it take to prune a tree well than to prune a tree poorly?

“It’s the same amount of effort,” West explained, “and just a tiny bit of knowledge to get your trees healthy.”

Keep your trees healthy by pruning them properly and by watering them during the dry summer months. Friends of Trees also recommends hiring an ISA certified arborist to prune trees once every 5-7 years. 

Find more tree care tips on our web site and our blog, where Dr. Tree has offered advice on removing suckers and planting trees.

And remember: Street tree pruning often requires a permit. Check with your local government to learn more.

–TR

Dozens of new Neighborhood Coordinators attended Friends of Trees' July trainings. (FOT file)

By Kate Farrington

Last week Friends of Trees held three separate Neighborhood Coordinator trainings. Sunday’s was for new Neighborhood Coordinators, Tuesday’s was for Vancouver coordinators, and Thursday’s was for Portland coordinators. All three events were well attended.

Participants heard from Friends of Trees staff, Vancouver Urban Forestry, Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, and veteran Neighborhood Coordinators. The presentations explained the coordinators’ roles and the importance of a healthy urban forest.

Participants also enjoyed delicious donated pastries and bagels on Saturday and pizzas on Tuesday and Thursday.

At the trainings, Neighborhood Coordinators met for the first time with other volunteers who will assist them. The groups discussed outreach ideas and planting goals. It was great to see everyone working together and to watch Neighborhood Coordinators gear up for the upcoming planting season.

Thank you to all of our amazing Neighborhood Coordinators!

–Farrington is Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator for Friends of Trees.

A happy new tree owner - courtesy of Friends of Trees, 2.13.10 (FoT File)

By Andy Meeks

Did you know that urban street and yard trees increase air and water quality, improve neighborhood livability, help mitigate stormwater runoff, boost property values, and help beautify neighborhoods?

Would you like to meet your neighbors, develop valuable organizing skills, and have fun while helping Friends of Trees reach our ambitious goal of planting about 6,000 street and yard trees in Portland and Vancouver this season?

If any of these possibilities intrigue or even inspire you, consider becoming a Neighborhood Coordinator with Friends of Trees for our 2010-11 planting season! The trainings will be held on Saturday, July 10 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. with a second session on either Tuesday, July 13 (Vancouver) or Thursday, July 15 (Portland) from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.  (See locations below.)

Neighborhood coordinators make a Friends of Trees planting event possible by talking to neighbors about planting trees, keeping track of homeowner inquiries and tree requests, and helping organize a neighborhood planting event with support from the Friends of Trees staff.

No experience is necessary! We’ll train you in all aspects of this role and support you throughout the planting season as you raise awareness of the planting event, help your neighbors order trees, and organize the logistics of planting day.

Neighborhood coordinators typically work in teams as adjacent neighborhoods are grouped into planting events together. Scheduling is very flexible and most work can be done at home. The typical time commitment is approximately 80 hours from mid-summer until the planting event occurs between November and March. (Dates vary depending on neighborhoods.)

If you have any questions or would like to sign up for these trainings, please e-mail Jesse Batty or call him at 503-282-8846 ext. 25.  We hope to work with you!

===

FIRST SESSION: This session is required for all prospective neighborhood coordinators. It is intended to give a broad introduction to Friends of Trees and the Neighborhood Trees program, as well as information about the neighborhood coordinator’s roles, responsibilities and strategies needed to get the job done.

Saturday, July 10, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at PCC Cascade Campus (Terrell Hall – Room 122) at 705 N Killingsworth in Portland.

AND

SECOND SESSION: This session will be an opportunity for new and returning neighborhood coordinators to meet each other, talk about ideas, and learn more about our online ordering system.

Tuesday, July 13, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Firstenburg Community Center – 700 Northeast 136th Avenue, Vancouver, WA – in Community Room A. This session is for Vancouver Neighborhood Coordinators only.

OR

Thursday, July 15, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Kaiser Town Hall – 3704 N Interstate Avenue, Portland, OR. This session is for Portland Neighborhoods Coordinators only.

Meeks is the Volunteer & Outreach Specialist with Friends of Trees.

Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, marks the two-month mark for this year’s planting season. In two months and only seven full plantings, Friends of Trees planted 3,631 trees and shrubs.

Not bad Green Space Initiative program (GSI)—not bad Neighborhood Trees program (NT):

Sept. 26, GSI planting/training, Browns Ferry Park, Tualatin = 120 trees & shrubs

Oct. 10, GSI planting, Mary Woodward, Tigard = 1800 trees & shrubs —complete coverage

Oct. 17, GSI planting, S. Portland River Bank = 700 trees & shrubs —complete coverage

Nov. 7, NT planting/training, Vancouver = 140 trees

Nov. 8, GSI planting along I-205 = 30 trees —complete coverage

Nov. 14, GSI planting/training, Audubon Society = 400 trees & shrubs —complete coverage

Nov. 21, GSI planting, King City Park = 320 trees & shrubs

Nov. 21, NT planting/training, Brooklyn & Sellwood = 121 trees —complete coverage

–Toshio Suzuki

Friends of Trees staffer Elizabeth Elbel describes proper planting depth to the crew leader trainees. (FOT file)

By Whitney Dorer

Each year, the Neighborhood Trees program starts the planting season off with a training for new crew leaders coupled with a planting in the neighborhoods of Sellwood-Westmoreland and Brooklyn.  Last Saturday, it was a full house with over 50 volunteers learning what it means to be a crew leader.  These individuals will teach homeowners and other volunteers how to plant trees, talk about the urban forest, all while building community in our neighborhoods.

(FOT file)

The morning was filled with presentations from staff and partners such as the City of Portland’s Grey to Green Initiative, Bureau of Environmental Services, and long term volunteers.  Volunteers filled up on soup and topped off their cups of coffee before heading out to plant 121 street and yard trees.

Among the large array of trees were the Cascara, Grace Smoketree, Magnolia ‘ Butterflies’ and the Fuyu Japanese Persimmon.  Each tree is now happily planted and tagged – so take a trip down to Sellwood – Westmoreland and Brooklyn and check them out!

Whitney is the Neighborhood Trees Manager and can be reached at WhitneyD@FriendsofTrees.org or 503-282-8846 ext. 21.

• Saturday, November 14th in Portland. Register!

Neighborhood Trees trainings will be:

• Saturday, November 7th in Vancouver. Register!
• Saturday, November 21st in Portland. Register!

For more information about either program, or to sign up for one or more of these trainings, please contact Greg Tudor or Andy Meeks at GregT@FriendsofTrees.org, AndyM@FriendsofTrees.org, or call 503-282-8846 ext. 12.

Volunteers at the 2008 south riverbank planting; Friends of Trees returns this year on Oct. 17. (FOT file)

Sept. 29 to Oct. 17 is Tree Steward training with Portland Public Parks & Recreation

Seven session course covers general and advanced arbor care, tree biology, identification, planting and preservation. Once trained, neighborhood tree stewards work with PP&R staff on tree projects. Class is for ages 14 and up and costs $25.

Oct. 3, Sat. 9 a.m. -2 p.m., is Old Apple Tree Festival with Vancouver Urban Forestry

Old Apple Tree Park, 112 Columbia Way, Vancouver, Wash.

Free event celebrates the Northwests’ most famous Apple Tree—aged 182 years—with live music, baking contest, and apple and tree cutting giveaways. Local arborists will also be available for questions.

Oct. 7 is Go Green 2009

Gerding Theater, NW 11th & Davis St., Pearl District

Governor Kulongoski, Mayor Adams and others speak on sustainable business practices. Here are the Top 10 reasons for going. Event runs all day and costs $175.

Oct. 10, Sat. 9 a.m. -1 p.m., is Green Space Initiative (GSI) Planting

Oct. 11-14 is Land Trust Alliance Rally in Portland

National conservation conference is anchored at the Convention Center and features field trips, like one led by the Nature Conservancy that will educate participants about the vanishing oak woodlands in the Willamette Valley. Pre-registration is closed, but walk-ins are available.

Oct. 15, Thu. 10-11 a.m., is the Value of Shade with Geoffrey Donovan

This webcast, sponsored by the Alliance for Community Trees (ACT), features Donovan of the Portland Forestry Sciences Laboratory, who will discuss new findings regarding energy and climate impacts and the use of urban shade trees.

Oct. 16, Fri. 12:15-1:15 p.m., is Urban Ecology with City Club of Portland

The Governor Hotel, 614 SW 11th Ave., downtown

Kathleen L. Wolf, research social scientist in the College of Forest Resources at the University of Washington, will discuss the social, economic and environmental benefits of trees in cities. Lunch is $20, coffee and tea seats, $5. Make a reservation at 503-228-7231.

Oct. 17, Sat. 9 a.m. -1 p.m., is Green Space Initiative Planting

Powers Marine Park, SW Macadam Ave., South Portland Riverbank

Friends of Trees’ GSI program returns to the Willamette River with this planting sponsored by the Bureau of Environmental Services and Portland Parks and Recreation. Planting season runs through April, with many future volunteer opportunities for natural area restoration.

Oct. 21, Wed. 1-4 p.m., is The Benefits of Urban Trees with Washington Dept. of Natural Resources

Pierce County Environmental Services, 9850 64th Street W., Tacoma, Wash.

This free persuasion workshop, featuring Brighton West of Friends of Trees, Donovan (listed above) and Courtney Dillard, strategic communication professor at the University of Oregon, will outline several recent tree studies that can influence public policy and the average homeowner in favor of urban forestry.

Oct. 27, 6-9 p.m., is Portland Eco-districts: A Natural Future

Center for Architecture, 403 NW 11th Ave., Pearl District

Panel discussion on Portland’s eco-districts will include architects, landscape architects and urban designers. Accompanying the panel will be a University of Oregon student exhibition. Free event is part of the Portland Architecture and Design Festival.

October is NeighborWoods Month 2009 with ACT

Join Friends of Trees and dozens of other organizations nationwide as we cultivate diversity in our local communities, one planting at a time.

--For more information on any Friends of Trees events, please contact Andy Meeks at 503-282-8846 ext. 24 or andym@FriendsofTrees.org. For even more information, please contact Greg Tudor at 503-282-8846 ext. 12, or GregT@FriendsofTrees.org–-

—To submit an event listing, contact Toshio Suzuki at ext. 16, or ToshioS@FriendsofTrees.org—

Come downtown Friday afternoon and learn how to make seed bombs, or check out this photo tutorial. (LA Times)

Sept. 18, Friday 9 a.m. -3 p.m., is Park (ing) Day with Friends of Trees

Stumptown, 128 SW 3rd Ave.

One-day global event demonstrates the value and need for natural green spaces in the city . Friends of Trees will transform a downtown parking space into a green oasis, with real grass and trees. Come taste the stump, make some seed bombs, and learn how to enhance our urban canopy. 

Sept. 19, Saturday 11 a.m. -6 p.m., begins the Alberta Street Fair with Friends of Trees

Northeast Portland cultural event includes opportunities to meet local organizations. Stop by the Friends of Trees’ booth and ask some tree questions or learn how to volunteer at your neighborhood planting. For more information, please contact Andy at 503-282-8846 ext. 24 or andym@FriendsofTrees.org.

Sept. 20, Sunday 11:30 a.m. -3 p.m., is Friends of Trees’ Volunteer Picnic

Colonel Summers Park, SE 17th & Belmont

Friends of Trees invites its amazing volunteer corps to an afternoon treat of food and drinks. Come chat and play kickball in the sun before our 20th anniversary planting season begins. Please RSVP to Mary Harrell at MaryH@FriendsofTrees.org.

• Saturday, November 14th in Portland. Register!

Neighborhood Trees trainings will be:

• Saturday, November 7th in Vancouver. Register!
• Saturday, November 21st in Portland. Register!

For more information about either program, or to sign up for one or more of these trainings, please contact Greg Tudor or Andy Meeks at GregT@FriendsofTrees.org, AndyM@FriendsofTrees.org, or call 503-282-8846 ext. 12.