A month of plantings, partnerships, and community support
At an Earth Month planting event in Oregon City, a young volunteer named Tim gushed as he deepened a hole for a new yard tree: “I just get so much out of doing this. I love it.” We’ve all been there, Tim, and it’s an awesome feeling.
That’s the sort of love that Earth Month inspires! It’s been a month full of smiling faces at tree planting events, selfies with favorite tree friends, and Tree Walks with community partners.
Beyond all else, this Earth Month has brought us incredible community support. In recent weeks, Friends of Trees has been the topic of several news stories, and our own op-ed, about the end of our street tree planting contract with the City of Portland. We have been grateful for the opportunities to share why we think community tree planting is so important, and we’ve been truly touched by the outpouring of support we have received from all of you.
“Friends of Trees was organized, well-prepared and easily accessible, and made me feel good about helping our climate.”
-Vivian, 6th grader, in a letter to The Oregonian
We know folks still have questions about what this means for Friends of Trees (read our FAQ here). In short, we’re not going anywhere: we will keep working to improve the world around us by planting trees. Together. We will keep tackling climate change, addressing inequities in our tree canopy, and building a robust community of environmental stewards. We celebrate Earth every day, and hope you do too!There’s still lots going on this week!
Get to Know Planting Partners
Expanding these important partnerships throughout the region
This Earth Month, we are celebrating how we are expanding our impact throughout Western Oregon and Southwest Washington. We couldn’t do this without the municipal partners that are investing in their communities by supporting community tree planting as a way to increase their cities’ canopies.
Yesterday, Wilsonville residents celebrated Earth Day with a city-wide tree planting event. This year we celebrated 20 years of partnership with the City of Wilsonville, where we have held annual plantings in parks and natural areas and have now expanded to neighborhood trees. We look forward to a similar expansion in Hillsboro!
This is just a taste of the growth we’ve had throughout the region.Learn more here.
“Planting trees is one of my favorite things to do when it comes to volunteering. even if it’s not your tree, it’s all of our trees.”
-Vancouver Councilmember Sarah J. Fox
The Eugene Branch
Expanding Equity and Sustainability Work with an EWEB Greenpower Grant
Eugene residents can support tree planting through Eugene Water and Electric Board’s Greenpower program. Residents can volunteer to donate just one penny per kilowatt-hour on the electric bill toward funding environmental projects.
With funding from the Greenpower grant, the capstone of this year’s Friends of Trees work in West Eugene was putting on two planting events in the Bethel neighborhoods around Gilbert Park and Mangan Park. To honor the mission of the grant and meet our own goals of increasing the sustainability of our events, we incorporated more bicycle crews.
“The pandemic, racial justice issues, and extreme heat of the last few years have focused our urban tree planting work more intentionally on equity, sustainability, and resilience.” says Eugene Director Erik Burke. “The Greenpower grant has allowed us to expand this work.” Learn more here.
LEAFLET
Determining Your Tree’s Watering Needs
We’ve had a wet April, which means your trees are getting plenty of water! But the transition from spring to summer can be a tricky time to determine when to water your tree. You might find yourself wondering, “when did it rain last?”
Too much watering is the most common mistake, but consistent watering is crucial to getting these young trees established. A good way to know if your tree needs water is to check the soil. Stick a garden trowel or even a pencil 2-3 inches into the soil. If the soil at that depth is dry to the touch, then your tree is ready to be watered.
It’s not too late to win prizes in our Earth Month Scavenger Hunt!
This year for Earth Month, we’re putting on a little scavenger hunt for some tree friends. We’ve been posting challenges all month, and it’s not too late to catch up—all you have to do is find the right tree and post a selfie with it to Facebook or Instagram!
Each participant will be entered to win prizes like Friends of Trees swag and Columbia Sportswear gear, to be drawn at the end of the month. Post multiple trees and get an entry for each post!
You have until the end of the month to complete any or all of the challenges. Learn more here.
Our End-of-Season Shade Tree Sale is here!
Saturday, May 14, 10am- 1pm, at our office in NE Portland.
Complete your garden project today by adding one of our trees to your yard! The sale includes sliding scale pricing: $5-75. The time is now to get some new trees in the ground before summer rolls around.
Need Street Trees? We got you! Our trees are large stock trees and might fit the requirements for replacing a street tree, or adding a street tree to your front or side planting strip or right-of-way. Looking for a yard tree to help increase the urban canopy or complete a garden project? We have some great options for you as well.
When you come to the tree sale, you can consult with Friends of Trees staff about your selection. If you find a tree for you, you can purchase the tree and take it home that day!
