Eugene planting was tree-mendous!

By Whitney Dorer

On October 20, three Portland staff crammed into a Friends of Trees truck with all of our gear and energy and took off for the unknown.

Through skits and demonstrations, we trained 21 Crew Leaders, who will help out at planting events throughout the Eugene season. When asked why they volunteer, one trainee responded, “Why not?”

It was as simple as that. We were excited to have such a great group show up for the first training.

Instead of heading back to Portland, we stuck around to check out the real action .. a  tree planting! On Saturday, October 22, we helped beautify the Bethel-Danebo neighborhood by planting 100 trees at the office of Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) and 70 trees along the Roosevelt and A3 channels.

This planting commemorated EWEB’s centennial year as a citizen-owned utility. Those who attended were thanked with a specially brewed Oakshire beer for the celebration.

With over 90 people of all ages attending, the crowd included EWEB employees, City of Eugene employees, neighbors, newly trained Crew Leaders, and other Friends of Trees Eugene volunteers. The weather couldn’t have been better!

–Dorer is Neighborhood Trees Manager for Friends of Trees.