Meek School Planting Phase 2 Completed!
By Dove Hotz
The morning of Friday, December 10, found the Concordia Tree Team braving the elements to plant a dozen trees at the Joseph L. Meek Professional Technical High School, 4039 NE Alberta Court, Portland.
The goal was to engage Meek students in recovering the part of the Concordia canopy that had been lost over the years and to create a diverse mix of trees that will enable the students to observe different types of growth and behavior over the seasons.
The new trees represent genera with large numbers of species and expanding ranges or those that have been reduced to very few species with shrinking ranges. The mix includes several unusual species of oak (Quercus) and hackberry (Celtis), and a number of unusal conifers, including Bald Cypress, Dawn Redwood, and Umbrella Pine. Additionally, there are examples of both deciduous and evergreen specimens of broad-leaved trees and conifers.
This mini-arboretum of 28 trees will be a great asset to the school and the neighborhood for decades to come. Please stop by next time you are in the neighborhood and let us know what you think!
This project could not have been accomplished without the committed participation of several community partners who share a passion for trees.
The Concordia Tree Team (Jim Gersbach, Dove Hotz, Kristin Kaye, Bob Pallesen, Rebecca Wetherby, and Barbara Wharton) worked together to develop and coordinate the project. Trees, tools, mulch, and technical assistance were provided by Portland Parks & Recreation, City of Portland Urban Forestry, Friends of Trees, and Tree Happy Arbor Care. Meek ProTech Natural Resources teacher Misty Scevola was an essential link in coordinating with the school. She and her students participated in the planting.
To learn more about this and other Concordia Tree Team projects, to find resources for tree-related questions, or to join the Concordia Tree Team, please visit ConcordiaTreeTeam.wordpress.com.
– Hotz is the chair of the Concordia Tree Team, a group of volunteer tree stewards in the Concordia Neighborhood