Trees, friends & photos from March 12 plantings

If you were among the 376 people who volunteered at our four plantings on Saturday, March 12, you may find yourself or your planting partners in this slide show. Many thanks to all who planted with us and to the following photographers: Lisa Johnston-Smith, Lindsay Hook, Albert Kaufman, Emma Gray, Logan Lauvray, and Whitney Dorer.

Green Space Initiative volunteers planted 1,565 trees and native plants in Portland’s Forest Park and Tualatin’s Ibach Park. Joined by Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz, Neighborhood Trees volunteers planted 317 street and yard trees in ten Portland neighborhoods. The Forest Park planting was sponsored by REI, and the neighborhood plantings were sponsored by Backyard Bird Shop and IKEA Portland.

Here are some quotes from David Douglas High School ESL students who planted at the Argay, Parkrose, Parkrose Heights, Russell, Sumner and Wilkes planting:

Than Kyaw, from Burma: “I planted 11 trees! My trees are strong.”
Marius Ibuye, from The Congo: “This is good for my city. It is beautiful!”
Maria Hernandez, from Mexico: “Thank you Friends of Trees for trees in Portland!”

David Douglas High School ESL teacher Anne Downing said, “Thank you Friends of Trees for providing a great opportunity to new Portland immigrant and refugee students. Planting trees instills confidence and pride in their community today and for many years into the future as they watch their trees grow. Your staff is exemplary and welcoming to all!”

Albert Kaufman, neighborhood coordinator for Irvington, wrote in his blog about his neighborhood planting:

“I could write a novella about the task of being a neighborhood coordinator for this event. It’s full of contacting neighbors, reaching out to businesses, and interacting with the great staff at Friends of Trees. And I enjoyed the fun of planting trees even more. Working with great crew leader, Karen, and crew assistant, David, we walked in a five-block circle and planted 11 trees in three hours. …

“It was a rainy day, but our spirits were high. And when we returned to the basecamp, there were all of the other volunteers and crew leaders sitting down to a well-deserved, bountiful lunch of soups, chilis, stews, bread, salads, and desserts. It was a great time to swap stories, share smiles, and make some new friends beyond the crew that you’d been assigned to.”

Though we had to cancel our Rood Bridge Park planting in Hillsboro this Saturday because of swampy conditions, we’re hosting three plantings on March 19: a Green Space Initiative planting along the I-205 Multi-Use Path in the Lents neighborhood and our last two Neighborhood Trees plantings of the 2010-11 season. The Port of Portland is sponsoring our Beaumont-Wilshire, Cully, and Roseway planting.

Please join us!

–TR