An International Grove for David Douglas High School

By Andrew Land

Friends of Trees staffers Gustavo Rojas and Andrew Land enjoyed the privilege of representing FOT recently at a tree-planting event coordinated by Portland Bureau of Environmental Services and attended by FOT and the nonprofit Verde. English as a Second Language teacher Anne Downing, BES AmeriCorps volunteer/David Douglas High School graduate Lea Wilson, and others petitioned the school for funds to hold the planting event, despite the district’s announcement of a moratorium on such events due to recent budgetary restraints. Principal John Bier proved to be just the listening ear they needed as he was able to successfully advocate for funds to maintain the trees, making it possible for 51 trees to be planted on the school grounds.

Thanks to the help of about 100 science, leadership, wrestling and Bill Naito Community Tree Award-winning ESL students from several classes at David Douglas High School, the event made an instant impact that will only become more profound as the years go by. To coordinate the planters, staff from the Bureau of Environmental Services, Friends of Trees, Verde and AmeriCorps were on hand to show kids how to get the trees in the ground.

The new trees will certainly provide the usual array of benefits, including cleaning the air, cooling the environment, providing habitat for birds, and making the school even more beautiful. In coming years, they will also greatly reduce cooling costs for west-facing computer labs currently punished by hot afternoon sun. Science students will have the opportunity to study native and migratory bird populations attracted by the new trees.

To represent both the incredible diversity of the school as well as the outstanding tree-planting efforts on the part of David Douglas High School’s ESL classes, a ring of trees representing different continents was planted near the front of the school district’s main entrance. They include a Chilean Beech (Nothofagus obliqua) representative of South America, an Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica) for Africa, a London Plane (Platanus × acerifolia) for Europe, a Ginkgo biloba for Asia, and a Eucalyptus variety to represent Australia. The school’s student body represents approximately 60 different nationalities, and its ESL students have been extraordinary tree planters at East Portland neighborhood plantings in recent years.

Friends of Trees is lucky to have been part of such a historic event and a successful public-nonprofit partnership.

–Land is a Neighborhood Trees Specialist for Friends of Trees. Slide show provided by Anne Downing.