Tag: City of Portland
Planting Day With Better Chances
Youth plant seven trees on Marine Drive, FOT communications intern Tony S. reports
I pull into a narrow strip of land on Marine Drive in North Portland on a crisp January morning. Today we are planting seven trees with 10 BIPOC youth from the nonprofit Better Chances. We trickle in. There are going to be quite a few of us. This land will be developed into housing, and we are here to help add some extra foliage for cooling, shade, and the many benefits trees provide.
I’m here as a participant in the Adult Urban Forestry Workforce Training Program (AUF), and this is my first assignment as a communications intern. I’m joining two Friends of Trees staff and four fellow AUF graduates in leadership roles who are here to facilitate the planting.
Smoke rises from a little fire barrel. It helps to dispel some of the morning chill. A few kids in their early teens gravitate to the edge of a frozen stream nearby. They throw sticks onto the ice in hopes of a satisfying sploosh. In the clearing is a table with plenty of snacks and supplies. It’s a cozy vibe.
Better Chances, founded by Kadir Abdullahi and Talietha Mathis, focuses on academic support and vibrant extracurricular activities that build positive youth development. They do things such as play basketball, go to BBQ cook outs, and white-water rafting. There is focus on curiosity, play and sensory enjoyment of nature.
After a planting demonstration led by Thomas Meinzen, Neighborhood Trees Specialist with Friends of Trees, we split into groups to get some more individualized practice. We definitely have a few side quests. A frog is found and relocated to the edge of our planting area. Some holes are in the wrong spot! They need to be moved. One of our trees comes out of the pot with a tight root-bound ball. Two energetic kids step up. They put in extra effort sawing out a slice of the ball and freeing the circling roots to grow outward. Thankfully we have a lot of helping hands for our tasks.
By noon, the frost has melted in the warm mild sun, and we have most of our trees in the ground standing upright. The root-bound tree ended up chosen to be swapped for a sturdier one at a later date—a good learning example!
It is blissful to be out in nature, just playing and learning in a multigenerational group. I think there’s a real sense of ownership and placemaking in planting trees together. Housing will go up here and things will look different soon, but the trees will be here and they will accompany us through time. Over the years, these kids will be able to watch the trees they planted grow as they grow.
Thanks to everyone at Better Chances for planting with us!
Garry Spreads the Seeds of Service for MLK Day
Dear Diary,
Volunteers are sort of like wildflowers. Each one is lovely and unique, but when you see a whole field of them, it’s totally, mind-blowingly beautiful. Seeing a huge group of volunteers together warms my heart on even the chilliest morning. And when they’re planting wildflowers? It can’t get any better than that.
Last weekend, I felt inspired to do something kinda wild myself. I went to three Friends of Trees planting events all in the same morning. This was an especially special morning, the weekend right before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The spirit of service really fills my canopy around MLK Day. Of course I love seeing volunteers almost every week at Friends of Trees planting events, but I really love that so many people are eager to make a difference in honor of Dr. King.
I started my morning in Forest Grove (what a great name for a town, right?) Volunteers gathered at Stites Nature Park to plant, you guessed it, wildflowers! I am a friend of native plants as much as I am a friend of trees, and our Green Space program gives me the perfect chance to hang out with some of my native plant buddies. We were planting red columbine, showy milkweed, Oregon iris, tiger lily, and more! The morning started off frosty, but the sun was out, shining on the volunteers and wildflowers that will bloom come spring. I literally cannot wait.
From there I went back home, to the Friends of Trees office, because we were staging an event there! Volunteers were planting in neighborhoods along the MLK corridor, perfect for this weekend of service. Our new partnership with the City of Portland is focused on planting trees to grow canopy where it’s needed most, in the most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods. So even though it’s winter now, we’re always thinking about those hot summer days and the shade trees can provide to the community. Volunteers can see their impact right away when they look at a tree they just planted, but that impact continues to grow and grow as the tree does.
It just feels so good to plant trees in my own neighborhood. Highly recommend if you get the chance. And City Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney agrees! We were stoked to have her at the event talking to our volunteers about why their work is so important.
“Look at the beautiful trees loaded up in these trucks,” Councilor Pirtle-Guiney said to the volunteers before they headed out to plant. “You’re going to some neighborhoods right near where I live, and there are blocks there that absolutely need these beautiful trees.”
We had some of our incredible community partners there too. The Blueprint Foundation and Wisdom of the Elders both brought crews. We also had a table set up for voter registration! One of the things I love about volunteers is that they are some of the most active citizens! Talk about wildflowers spreading seeds, am I right?
My last stop: more wildflowers. I popped over to the Columbia Slough Natural Area for the other Green Space event of the morning. I really love this place because it is a much needed slice of nature in the middle of an industrial area, right along the Columbia Slough, which is such an important waterway for my wildlife friends. Our friends from POIC were there leading crews, showing us what the next generation of environmental stewards is capable of.
I couldn’t help but bask in the good vibes of this place and the spirit of the people so committed to volunteering their time and energy to make our world a little bit better, one wildflower at a time.
Tree-mendously yours,
Garry
P.S. Read my whole diary here!
P.P.S. You can support these good vibes and good trees by donating!
Friends of Trees & Portland Urban Forestry Host First Community Planting Event of their New Partnership
Friends of Trees | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information:
Colin May: cell (503) 467-2515; [email protected]
The December 6th North Portland Planting is the first in a new collaboration between Friends of Trees and the City of Portland
Portland, Ore. – Friends of Trees will host its first community planting event as part of its new partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) Urban Forestry on Saturday December 6, 2025. Community volunteers will gather at Cesar Chavez School in North Portland before planting trees throughout North Portland neighborhoods.
This community planting event is the first of four events this season that Friends of Trees will put on in partnership with Portland Urban Forestry. The new $1.8 million partnership will plant and care for 750 trees across Portland’s most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods. This collaboration is part of the City’s Equitable Tree Canopy program funded by the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF), and reflects a shared commitment to climate resilience, community stewardship, and long-term tree health.
“It’s always exciting to put planning into action, especially when it means bringing volunteers together to plant trees,” says Friends of Trees Executive Director Yashar Vasef. “The efforts we make on a winter morning will mean more shade in these neighborhoods during future summer heat waves.”
Volunteers will plant approximately 100 street and yard trees at residents’ homes as part of this planting event. Every street tree planted through this partnership will receive three years of follow-up care. This includes watering, monitoring, and replacement if needed. Yard tree recipients will receive guidance and support from Friends of Trees to help care for their trees and support long-term success.
Friends of Trees expects about 100 community volunteers to attend (Note: volunteer event is full and registration is closed). City Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) plans to be in attendance as well.
- Location: Cesar Chavez School, 5103 N Willis Blvd, Portland, OR 97203
- Time: 8:45 A.M. – 1 P.M. Brief program at 9:00 am before volunteer crews disperse to planting sites.
- Neighborhoods: East Columbia, Kenton, Piedmont, Portsmouth, St Johns, and Woodlawn.
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Friends of Trees (FriendsofTrees.org)
Friends of Trees inspires people to improve the natural world around them through a simple solution: Planting Trees. Together.
Friends of Trees was founded in 1989 by a local community member who loved trees and started planting them in neighborhoods. Today, Friends of Trees is a nationally recognized, regional leader in improving the urban tree canopy and restoring sensitive natural areas—through programs delivered by thousands of volunteers. Friends of Trees has planted more than 1 million trees and native plants in 120+ neighborhoods in six counties across two states in the 36 years since its founding.
Neighborhood Tree Planting in Portland this Season!
Friends of Trees is partnering with Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry to plant trees in priority neighborhoods
This planting season, Friends of Trees and Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry are launching a new $1.8 million partnership to plant and care for 750 trees across Portland’s most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods. This collaboration is part of the City’s Equitable Tree Canopy program funded by the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF), and reflects a shared commitment to climate resilience, community stewardship, and long-term tree health.
Over the next three years, Friends of Trees and our volunteer community will plant, water, and care for 750 street and yard trees, with a focus on neighborhoods in North and East Portland that have less canopy and greater exposure to heat risks. All trees will be free to recipients.
Go to our Get a Tree page to find out if your home is in our planting area. Neighborhoods listed below!
Friends of Trees has maintained an active presence in Portland since our onset in 1989, with different partnership iterations with the City of Portland and others. For example, our Green Space program partners with Portland Parks & Recreation to restore natural areas. And Portland Urban Forestry is part of an 11-member coalition led by Friends of Trees that was awarded a $12 million Urban and Community Forestry Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Friends of Trees is excited to work with Portland Urban Forestry to bring people together to protect and grow the canopy. It’s about more than planting. It’s about centering community in the process, creating connections between people and the trees.”
-Yashar Vasef , Executive Director at Friends of Trees.
“Our partnership with Friends of Trees prioritizes equity and shared impact,” said Jenn Cairo, Portland City Forester. “We’re working together to plant trees in neighborhoods that need them most and helping make sure new trees survive and grow in hotter, drier summers.”
Every street tree planted through this partnership will receive three years of follow-up care. This includes watering, monitoring, and replacement if needed. Yard tree recipients will receive guidance and support to help care for their trees and support long-term success.
“With this revitalized partnership, we’re prioritizing post-planting care to make sure these trees survive and thrive for the community’s benefit,” Yashar says.
We’re excited to work with Portland Urban Forestry to focus on priority neighborhoods. Together, we are removing some of the barriers to planting trees by offering the trees for free, watering street trees, and supporting tree establishment in those crucial first few years. It’s an opportunity to plant trees where they’re needed most and will require thoughtful outreach and engagement.
PORTLAND NEIGHBORHOOD PLANTINGS THIS SEASON
December 6, 2025
East Columbia, Kenton, Piedmont, Portsmouth, St. Johns, Woodlawn
January 17, 2026
Boise-Eliot, Buckman, Humboldt, Kerns, King, Lloyd District
March 7, 2026
Centennial, Glenfair, Hazelwood, Mill Park, Montavilla, Powellhurst-Gilbert
March 21, 2026
Argay Terrace, Parkrose, Parkrose Heights, Russell, Wilkes
Visit our website to find out if your address is in our planting areas and sign up for a tree! You can also check out this map. You can sign up to volunteer at any of our volunteer planting events throughout Western Oregon and Southwest Washington on our planting calendar.
Building a Community Coalition
Our $12 million grant is funding community equity work in Portland, Gresham, Eugene, and Springfield
We believe everyone deserves to experience the benefits of trees in urban landscapes. Trees and green spaces keep neighborhoods cool, support pollinators and ecosystem services, and even bolster mental health and well-being. Yet despite these benefits, tree canopy cover isn’t equitably distributed across communities and geographies, dividing most cities into high- and low-canopy neighborhoods. These low-canopy neighborhoods are often home to historically disadvantaged communities, who now bear the brunt of climate impacts when extreme weather strikes.
Last year, an 11-member coalition led by Friends of Trees was awarded a $12 million Urban and Community Forestry Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This program is investing over $1 billion nationwide to help increase equitable access to nature and the benefits of urban trees for communities most impacted by climate change, pollution, and environmental hazards.
Over the course of the five-year grant, our coalition will work to empower disadvantaged, low-canopy neighborhoods to expand their tree canopy by participating in urban forest planning processes, creating culturally-relevant educational and knowledge-exchange opportunities, and hosting community planting and tree care events.
The driving theme of the grant project is coalition building. We are so excited to work closely with our 10 community partners on this project: APANO, Black Parent Initiative, City of Gresham, City of Portland, Columbia Slough Watershed Council, Connecting Canopies, Depave, POIC, Verde, and Wisdom of the Elders.
Launching a project of this size is no simple task, and the coalition has been hard at work thoughtfully creating strategies and collaboratively planning activities to make this work a reality. The partners have assembled a coordinating committee and are collectively working on a coalition charter to set the course for the project.
Engaging community members is fundamental to the success of this project, which is why the coalition includes such a diverse array of community organizations, each with their own unique connection to the people they serve. To support planning and implementing our collaborative community engagement efforts, we’ve added a Community Coordinator to the team—Sia Hanna!
“For me, community engagement is all about commitment and relationship,” Sia says. “It’s a commitment to working alongside community members in our collective efforts to improve well-being and vibrancy within and between people and the places we call home. I believe humans are part of the ecology of place. If we are not deeply tending to each, then we do a disservice to both.”
The efforts behind the scene have led to the beginning of work on the ground: Friends of Trees has already hosted four pruning events in Eugene and Springfield that, without USDA funding, would not have been possible.
Now, we move into planting season, and our coalition project is a huge part of it. This grant is helping fund our upcoming planting events in Eugene, Springfield, NE Portland, and Gresham.
You can join us for one of two volunteer planting events on Saturday, November 23rd. We have a green space planting at the gorgeous Wilkes Creek Headwaters in NE Portland, where we will plant native shrubs to enhance this important natural area.
We will also be planting trees in Gresham neighborhoods, helping to build much needed urban canopy that will shade community members. Before the planting event that Saturday afternoon, we have a Crew Leader training—you can sign up to help lead planting crews!
Check out our calendar to sign up to volunteer.
Funding for this project provided by the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and Friends of Trees are equal opportunity providers and employers.