A new Friends of Trees Eugene office!

By Susie Peterson

Friends of Trees (FOT) has spread its branches a little bit further. At its annual meeting on Wednesday, September 28, the Eugene Tree Foundation (ETF), founded in 1997, publicly announced its integration into Friends of Trees.  The new Friends of Trees Eugene office is a consolidation of efforts to improve the urban forest in Eugene-Springfield and surrounding communities. It’s a very exciting time for supporters of both organizations!

Erik Burke, past ETF Board President and newly appointed FOT Eugene Director, spoke about the new arrangement and his interest in incorporating some of FOT’s program models into ETF’s existing education, advocacy, and planting efforts.

In attendance were Eugene local celebrities such as County Commissioners Pete Sorenson and Rob Handy, and Eugene Urban Forester Mark Snyder. Two ETF founders, Jonathan Brandt and John Kline, also attended, in addition to past and present ETF board members. Several FOT board members and staff were there, including Executive Director Scott Fogarty, who spoke on behalf of FOT.

The traditional Big Leaf Maple award was a highlight of the evening. This year the award was presented to the Rachel Carson Center for Natural Resources for significant urban forestry contributions from both teachers and students.

Special thanks to WOW Hall for providing the venue and to Oakshire Brewing for providing the beverages. Thanks also to local sandwich guru Devour for helping feed the crowd.

The kickoff planting for Eugene’s planting season will be on Saturday, October 22. Eugene Water and Electric Board and the City of Eugene will join the event to celebrate EWEB’s 100th anniversary, and Oakshire Brewing is making special brews to celebrate the anniversary.

The planting will start at EWEB’s Roosevelt Operations Center, 4200 Roosevelt Boulevard, at 9:00 am and wrap up around 1:00 pm. We hope to see you there!

–Peterson is Neighborhood Assistant & Contract Specialist for Friends of Trees.