JULY 2024: POLLINATORS | PARTNER SPOTLIGHT | TREE CARE TIPS
FRIENDS OF TREES,
FRIENDS OF BEES
How we can plant to promote native pollinators
Next time you see a bee buzzing around your garden, take a closer look. It’s cute, right? And on top of that, it’s performing a very important ecological process—pollination!
Last month we hosted two pollinator workshops in Washington county during National Pollinator Week, thanks to funding from the Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District. Folks gathered at the PCC Rock Creek Learning Garden and at Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge to take a tour of pollinator-friendly plants, learn what makes for good pollinator habitat, and to spot some native bees along the way. Friends of Trees staff shared their knowledge on the topic and led activities to guide people in designing their own pollinator gardens.
What is a pollinator? Pollinators are animals (mostly insects) that move pollen from a flower’s male part to its female part in their search for sustenance, making that plant’s reproduction possible. This process makes pollinators a really key part of both agricultural and ecological systems. 35% of our food sources and 75% of flowering plants depend on pollinators.
“Unfortunately, we’re seeing a massive, unprecedented decline in native bees and other pollinators,” says Thomas Meinzen, a Neighborhood Trees Specialist at Friend of Trees who studied pollinator ecology and conservation in graduate school.
We can create habitat in our own backyards and parks. Luckily, we don’t need entire wilderness areas for pollinators to live in. You can help by planting a variety of flowering plants to provide food for pollinators from spring all the way into fall.
“Trees are particularly helpful here because they flower earlier in the year than most smaller flowering plants, providing food for early-season pollinators like bumble bees,” Thomas says.
It’s also best to cultivate a diversity of flower shapes, colors, and types to attract a diverse array of pollinators. Bees, butterflies, and flies are all pollinating insects looking for different types of food. It makes sense that native pollinators are attracted to native plants. Our Green Space program enhances natural areas by planting many thousands of native shrubs and plants each planting season, improving air and water quality and creating habitat for wildlife, including pollinators.
This July didn’t hesitate to remind us just how hot it can get in an Oregon summer, with five consecutive days with highs over 100° Fahrenheit. And while many of us are lucky to be able to find shelter from a heatwave, trees don’t have that same luxury. For young trees in particular, extreme heat can cause tremendous stress and threaten the trees’ survival.
“It’s around this time every year when we start getting a steady flow of concerns about the well-being of young trees,” says Eugene Director Erik Burke. “Trees can dry out in just a couple days in a heatwave. There are a lot of factors that go into it, including the species and the site conditions.”
Trees that are getting too much water or not enough water can show similar symptoms. Most notably, their leaves will start to brown and curl. In most instances that a tree is getting too much water, it’s because the resident has lawn irrigation systems. It’s more common that a tree is under-watered. During a heatwave, your tree might need to be watered more often than once a week, but how do you know if it’s time to water? You can test the soil!
“It’s like testing a cake to see if it’s done,” says Taylor Glass, our Eugene Springfield Program Manager. Insert a pencil or stick several inches into the soil. When you pull it back up, if soil has stuck to the pencil then it still has moisture and you don’t need to water just yet. If it comes up dry you can go ahead and water your trees.
Verde is part of the 11-member coalition for our IRA Community Forestry Grant
We recently had the chance to connect with one of our partners about the opportunities the community forestry coalition affords. After speaking with Amandeep Sohi, Community Engagement Coordinator at Verde, it’s clear that their organization is striving to make a difference in the community.
Verde serves communities by building environmental wealth through social enterprise, outreach, and advocacy. Friends of Trees and Verde have been partners long before this coalition. In recent years, Verde helped Friends of Trees lead our first Spanish-speaking tree planting event. They also assisted in gathering volunteers and training five Latinx women to become planting crew leaders.
“When we talk about environmental wealth, we’re talking about access to green spaces and people’s ability to go into nature,” Amandeep said. “Not necessarily big, destination-parks, but also pocket parks right by our homes that we can walk to. We want to connect people to those spaces and opportunities—community gardens, naturescapes, and tree planting.”
Verde is part of the 11-member coalition led by Friends of Trees that was awarded a $12 million Urban and Community Forestry Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of the Inflation Reduction Act grants. The grant will fund community forestry work including tree planting, natural area restoration, post-planting care, community education, opportunities for direct community input and participation, and workforce training.
We’ll kick off our 36th planting season in October. Join us!
Love the idea of learning from and leading community members to plant trees? Looking for a way to take climate action? Want to make a lasting, positive impact in a fun outdoor environment? Join our Crew Leader Training Program to mentor others in your community, make meaningful connections, and of course, plant trees!
This program is open to everyone, no experience needed. It’s a great way to learn new skills and build a sense of place in your community. Visit our website to sign up and join our crew leader training this fall!
Laughing Planet is donating $1 for every kids smoothie sold to trees + community
When Laughing Planet CEO Franz Spielvogel decided to partner with a local organization, he quickly thought of Friends of Trees. For an entire year, Laughing Planet is donating $1 for every kids smoothie sold in the Portland region to Friends of Trees.
Having first volunteered for us over 20 years ago, and having planted five trees in his own yard, he knows first hand the impact that trees can have on a community. He even volunteered as a summer inspector.
“I’ve turned a little bit into a tree nut,” Franz says. “When you walk down a street without trees, it’s shocking. It can sound a bit cheesy on a bumper sticker, but trees are the answer.”
Because Friends of Trees’ mission aligns with the values of Laughing Planet, Franz is excited that the partnership can expose more people to the benefits of planting trees, especially young people, which is why kids’ smoothies are at the center of the partnership.
“I witnessed a mother and daughter in the cafe talking about the importance of trees. When you teach the kids while they’re young, they’ll care about trees for life.”
Our first bilingual planting ~ El Primer Evento Bilingüe de Plantar árboles de Friends of Trees | Get to know our partner: Sandy River Watershed Council
