Timbers goals will turn into trees Saturday

Members from the Portland Timbers roster will be out along with the Timbers Army Saturday to plant 135 trees in the Montavilla and Mt. Tabor neighborhoods. What a way to kick off Friends of Trees’ 2014-2015 neighborhood planting season in Portland!

The Timbers scored 83 goals in all competitions last season, and that means that 83 of the trees will get a special tag commemorating the “Score a Goal, Plant a Tree” partnership that we have with the team.

Montavilla has special meaning for the Timbers, because they dedicated a new community futsal field there in August—the Timbers Field at Montavilla Park. The project turned an underused, dilapidated tennis court to a beautiful new futsal arena using actual turf from the Timbers’ home field at Providence Park. It’s is a place where underserved youth can learn to play soccer, something they may not have had an opportunity to do otherwise.

Everyone is welcome to come out and Saturday and volunteer! Please show up at 12:15 p.m. at the meeting spot: Multnomah University, located at 8435 NE Glisan St., Portland, OR 97220 (map). From here, you’ll be assigned a crew and go out into the neighborhoods to plant! We provide the snacks, coffee, gloves and tools—you provide the muscle. Please wear weather-appropriate clothes and sturdy shoes.

“Score a Goal, Plant a Tree” is a partnership between Friends of Trees and the Portland Timbers that is made possible through the support of JELD-WEN Windows & Doors.

Through the club’s community outreach platform, Stand Together, the Timbers and Friends of Trees have planted more than 2,000 trees and shrubs since 2011 across Oregon and Southwest Washington, with the help of many volunteers.

These 2,000 trees absorb carbon dioxide at a rate of 96,000 pounds a year, remove 360,000 pounds of pollutants each year and intercept 4,760,000 gallons of storm water runoff to keep local rivers clean.