The Voice of Friends of Trees

By Scott Fogarty

When I became executive director of Friends of Trees nearly a decade ago, I’d heard about the many dedicated volunteers who planted trees in neighborhoods and green spaces weekend after weekend. And I soon met some of our amazing crew leaders and neighborhood coordinators, who gave so many hours of their time each planting season to organize and guide our planting volunteers.

What I witnessed this spring, though, went way beyond my previous experiences of our amazing Tree Team. When it seemed that funding for our tree plantings in east Portland might be removed from the city’s budget, the Tree Team rolled up its sleeves and rallied as one. Their goal: to save Friends of Trees’ important effort to to bring health and equity to Portland neighborhoods with the fewest trees and greatest health challenges, and to maintain Portland’s leadership in using green infrastructure to cost-effectively manage stormwater runoff.

A great number of you attended community budget forums, wrote emails to City Council and our Mayor, and testified publicly on our behalf. Our Tree Team, I learned, was not just the backbone and spirit of Friends of Trees, but also the voice—an eloquent, persuasive voice.

Because of you, Friends of Trees’ budget was restored to 85% of what had previously been dedicated to east Portland tree plantings. Though the 15% cut will require reductions in the services we provide, as we enter a new planting season this fall, we can at least look forward to continuing the important work that you and the city of Portland have made possible over the past four years.

As Friends of Trees expands to Salem and the Sandy River Delta, and continues growing in Clark and Lane counties, we will also work to ensure that Portland keeps growing as a leader in green ecosystem services and infrastructure management, and that our neighborhoods with the fewest trees grow greener and healthier. Together, we can make sure Portland remains among the 10 best cities for urban forests in the nation.

–Fogarty is Executive Director of Friends of Trees.