A tree grows in Gresham

By Greg Tudor

The City of Gresham got a little bit greener last Friday, with some help from the Portland Timbers and Friends of Trees.

A new arboretum at the Gradin Sports Park in Gresham will showcase appropriate street trees along Palmquist Road, with a children’s arboretum near the site of the original home where the Gradins, who donated the land to the city, once lived.

With help from the Portland Timbers, Friends of Trees Neighborhood Trees Specialist Elizabeth Elbel planted a Cascade Falls Bald Cypress, a cypress native to New Zealand valued for its weeping habit and graceful, pendulous foliage.

At completion, the arboretum will include over 400 trees, with over 300 species represented. The Cascade Falls Bald Cypress will anchor the children’s arboretum, and Friends of Trees looks forward to watching it, and the collection, grow!

Many thanks to Portland Timbers Jake Gleeson, Khalif Alhassan, James Marcelin, Freddie Braun, Mamadou “Futty” Danso, and Coach Jim Rilatt for coming out to support Gresham’s newest tree.

Friends of Trees is honored to be a Pillar Partner of the Portland Timbers.

Tudor is the Development Manager for Friends of Trees.