Garry Diaries

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!

Community, Million Trees

A MILLION TREES

Friends of Trees planted our monumental millionth tree* this April!

When Richard Seidman founded Friends of Trees in 1989, he never could have imagined that we’d reach the milestone of one million trees and native plants. We were honored to have him join us at our millionth tree planting and celebration last month, and he added a true sense of history to the proceedings.

“I’m just so grateful for everybody who has participated from the beginning and over the years, so intrepidly,” Richard said in his remarks to the crowd. “It’s just a joy. Who knew something like this would happen?”

At a party that felt very true to Friends of Trees, we were joined by 200 supporters, most of them devoted volunteers who helped us get here. Lewi Longmire played music from the back of one of our pickup trucks while folks sipped Level’s new One Million Trees Pilsner and hung out among the trees in our lot. When it came time to celebrate and plant the millionth tree, there was a palpable feeling of accomplishment that everyone in attendance shared.

“How did we get here?” Yashar, our executive director asked the crowd. “Through the power of 75,000 volunteers. Our mission is to build community through tree planting, and the community part is so important. This is what makes the magic happen, and I’m feeling it today.”

The magic of trees is that planting them is just the beginning. They’ll grow and provide their benefits for decades. We’ll get to know them and care for them, just like we get to know and care for our community. At Friends of Trees, we’re hopeful that one million trees and native plants is just the beginning. Like the trees—and you all—we’ll keep showing up.

YOU CAN BE A PART OF THIS!

Volunteer   |  Donate

Earth Month & Millionth Tree SPECIAL EVENTS

FRIENDS OF TREES ANNUAL SHADE TREE SALE

 

TREE WALKS

  • Wednesday, April 16th, 5:30 PM ~ Tree Equity Walk in NE Portland with Columbia Slough Watershed Council
  • Thursday, April 17th, 6 PM ~ Tigard Native Plant Walk
  • Monday, April 21, 4 – 5:30 PM ~ North Portland Tree Walk
  • Wednesday April 30th, 6 PM ~ Vancouver Tree Walk

 

TREE TRIVIA, with a spin

  • Monday, April 21, 6 – 7:30PM
  • Chill n Fill, 5215 N Lombard
  • Featuring urban ecology expert Dr. Vivek Shandas
  • We’ll turn the tables on Vivek during Treevia Roulette, where YOU ask the questions! Audience members will spin the wheel and get to ask Vivek a question based on wheel categories such as Trees in Hot Times, Trees & Magic, and more! Will you stump Vivek? How are Vivek’s improv skills? Come with your questions and find out!
  • No registration, open to the public, tell your friends!

About Vivek: Dr. Vivek Shandas has more than two decades of climate and environmental science experience and has published over 100 scientific publications and four books; his work has appeared in the NYTimes, The New Yorker, National Geographic, Scientific American, Times of India, Le Monde, Volkskrant , CNN and other international and national media.

 

 

SPECIAL CONTENT

 

A MILLION TREES, A MILLION STORIES

Part of our Millionth Tree season is reflecting on our rich history and the impact we’ve made together. Our millionth tree is a true milestone, and we want to honor the 999,999 trees that came before it and the thousands of volunteers that made it happen.

Check out all the stories here!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

This is an amazing opportunity to consider a special gift to Friends of Trees. Given the increasing severity of the impacts of climate change, getting started on our next million trees is more important than ever—and we need your help more than ever. Your gift to Friends of Trees will play a key role in ensuring our long term ability to grow our community forest where and when we need it most, and to make sure the community is involved in the process.

Make a donation to our Millionth Tree Campaign

THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS

Presenting Millionth Tree Partner:

Thanks to all of our Million Tree Partners!

 

              

 

 

*and native shrubs!

A healthy urban forest is not complete without natural areas filled with native plants. These green spaces provide habitat to wildlife, clean our water, and provide opportunities for people to connect with nature.

Volunteer Spotlight

Every Muddy Day Is Worth It

This season at Friends of Trees, we will plant our millionth tree. Our millionth tree, like all of the trees and native shrubs we’ve planted, will be planted with the power of community volunteers. We’re telling their stories! Read more here.

Carolyn’s commitment to crew leading is inspired by a sense of community and fun

Carolyn is the type of Crew Leader who brings cookies to planting events on her own birthday. She has a keen sense of the big difference that small actions can make, and even more simply, believes in the importance of fun.

“It’s so much fun,” she says of crew leading. “Why would I want to do anything else?”

She learned about Friends of Trees in 2019, quickly became a Crew Leader and volunteers as often as she can, racking up almost 400 volunteer hours at dozens of events in the years since.

“It’s too easy to become isolated in this world,” she says. “I volunteer every weekend if I can. It’s the best way to stay active.”

Carolyn is an avid volunteer, and not just at Friends of Trees. “There are so many ways to be involved,” she says. “It’s what a community needs.”

With Friends of Trees, Carolyn especially loves leading crews at Green Space plantings, helping lead volunteers to enhance natural areas in urban parks by planting native trees and shrubs. She loves seeing the plants grow from year to year. And because she is so active, she gets to meet people, then remeet people.

“You start each event with: we don’t even know each other, but we are a community,” she says. “And it’s so exciting when you see people come back for another event. It makes me want to weep! There’s so much bad news out in the world, but then you see so many people who want to plant.”

She knows it’s her job to set the tone for how the planting is going to go, especially on a chilly, wet winter day. She knows the planting sites well and she’ll often point out established plants from a previous year and tell volunteers, people just like you planted that.

“You know that anyone who is a part of a Friends of Trees event cares about trees. And people want to help. Whether it’s muddy or hard to dig, people just want to help. They love doing it.”

“Carolyn has such a calming, supportive presence,” says Jenny, the Volunteer & Outreach Program Manager at Friends of Trees. “She gives confidence to everyone she works with.”

Carolyn remembers walking to a planting event at Gateway Green with a huge group of college students on a service trip.

“They were just thrilled to be able to do this. And they’re not even from here.”

Carolyn believes that Friends of Trees Crew Leaders have a couple things in common: enthusiasm and perseverance. Carolyn certainly has these qualities in spades. Even though she has recently been sidelined from crew leading as she recovers from a surgery, she has found other ways to volunteer her time toward event prep. And she’s eager to put the vest back on and lead crews again as soon as she can.

When asked what she would say to someone considering becoming a Crew Leader, she had a simple response: “Do it. It is just so fun.”

After a planting event, she goes home, washes her muddy clothes, and enjoys the satisfaction of what she and her crew accomplished. She sees it as her role as a Crew Leader to make sure her crew feels that same satisfaction, that they’ll later feel the pull to revisit what they planted to see how it’s grown.

Carolyn sees the long term impact, the growth of both trees and community, and she knows it all starts with people simply showing up.

“Just the fact that people come,” she says, “makes every muddy day worth it.”

A Million Trees, A Million Stories is brought to you by our Presenting Partner, Portland General Electric.

Green Space

Friends of Trees, Friends of Bees

How we can plant to promote native pollinators

Next time you see a bee buzzing around your garden, take a closer look. It’s cute, right? And on top of that, it’s performing a very important ecological process—pollination!

Last month we hosted two pollinator workshops in Washington county during National Pollinator Week, thanks to funding from the Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District. Folks gathered at the PCC Rock Creek Learning Garden and at Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge to take a tour of pollinator-friendly plants, learn what makes for good pollinator habitat, and to spot some native bees along the way. Friends of Trees staff shared their knowledge on the topic and led activities to guide people in designing their own pollinator gardens.

What is a pollinator? Pollinators are animals (mostly insects) that move pollen from a flower’s male part to its female part in their search for sustenance, making that plant’s reproduction possible. This process makes pollinators a really key part of both agricultural and ecological systems. 35% of our food sources and 75% of flowering plants depend on pollinators.

“Unfortunately, we’re seeing a massive, unprecedented decline in native bees and other pollinators,” says Thomas Meinzen, a Neighborhood Trees Specialist at Friend of Trees who studied pollinator ecology and conservation in graduate school. In some countries, studies have shown more than 75% decline in insect biomass in 30 years. Because pollinators are relatively understudied, the impacts and ramifications of this decline are not fully understood.

“There are a lot of contributing factors, including pesticide and herbicide use, grazing practices, agricultural monocultures, habitat loss and climate change,” Thomas says. “It’s scary, but there are still things we can do.”

IN OUR OWN BACKYARDS

We can create habitat in our own backyards and parks. Luckily, we don’t need entire wilderness areas for pollinators to live in. You can help by planting a variety of flowering plants to provide food for pollinators from spring all the way into fall.

“Trees are particularly helpful here because they flower earlier in the year than most smaller flowering plants, providing food for early-season pollinators like bumble bees,” Thomas says. “Trees like California buckeye, cascara, hawthorns, willows, and fruit trees are all great options for native pollinators.”

It’s also best to cultivate a diversity of flower shapes, colors, and types to attract a diverse array of pollinators. Bees, butterflies, and flies are all pollinating insects looking for different types of food.

NATIVE PLANTS FOR NATIVE POLLINATORS

It makes sense that native pollinators are attracted to native plants. Our Green Space program enhances natural areas by planting many thousands of native shrubs and plants each planting season, improving air and water quality and creating habitat for wildlife, including pollinators.

“A lot of our Green Space plantings are designed to improve water quality in particular,” says Kaitie, a Green Space specialist. “But these plants are great for pollinators, which is more than just an added bonus.”

Plants like red-flowering currant and Oregon grape are common at our Green Space plantings and favorites for pollinators. Our Green Space plantings also leave open ground where bees can nest.

Many people express concern for honeybees, not realizing that honeybees come from Europe and can potentially outcompete native bee species. There are over 4,000 native bee species in the United States and over 650 in Oregon.

“There’s a lot of growing interest in pollinators,” Thomas says. “It was exciting to see that at our pollinator workshops with great turnout, in-depth conversations, and the chance to send folks home with pollinator plants.”

The best things we can do to protect and promote native pollinators are to avoid using pesticides and herbicides on our properties, plant flowers and native plants, and leave things a little messy so that pollinators can make themselves at home in our gardens.

Green Space

Wilkes Creek – Connecting a Community

New funding will develop the Wilkes Creek Headwaters into an accessible natural area

For three planting seasons, Friends of Trees volunteers have been enhancing the natural area at the Wilkes Creek Headwaters in outer East Portland. The 20.7-acre hybrid park is nestled in the neighborhood, and provides opportunities for local residents to connect with nature. The site was jointly purchased by Portland Parks & Recreation, the Bureau of Environmental Services, and Metro in 2011, and it will be preserved and enhanced as a public space for generations to come.

The natural area is particularly special because it is home to the headwaters of Wilkes Creek, which flows into the Columbia Slough. Just past the planting site, you can see the natural springs where water comes to the surface and turns into a stream.

“The headwaters can be seen bubbling up from the earth near the midway point of the property,” says Maija Spencer, Senior Community Engagement Coordinator for Portland Parks & Recreation. “Forty bird species, coyotes, and the Stumptown scud—a freshwater crustacean found only in the Portland area—call the property home.”

“Wilkes Creek is one of the only remaining free-flowing above-ground streams that makes its way into the Columbia Slough,” says Yoko Silk, a Stewardship Coordinator with PP&R. “There used to be hundreds, now there’s only a handful. So it’s really special for being that source of cold, clean water into the slough. And it provides a really important habitat to all sorts of critters.”

Friends of Trees volunteers have planted native plants throughout the central part of the park as part of the Greening Wilkes Initiative. There’s a wildflower meadow, where they’ve put in thousands of camas, checker mallow, lupine, yarrow, goldenrod, and many more. On the hillside, below an old hazelnut orchard, they have planted shrubs and small-form trees like serviceberry, Oregon grape, snowberry, and oceanspray.

“We want visitors to feel transported,” says Green Space Senior Specialist Harrison Layer. “We’re preserving this natural space as a beacon for birds flying overhead, and wildlife on the ground.”

Wilkes Creek Headwaters has received 8 million dollars in funding for its preservation and development through Portland Parks and Recreation. This park is considered a hybrid space because it’s being enhanced as a natural area at the same time it’s being developed into a usable park with benches, trails, and educational signage. In addition to providing the community with more access to green spaces, developing trails and signage will help protect the natural area that the community has worked so hard to develop.

“Portland Parks & Recreation will collaborate with partners and community members to create a plan for developing the park, with a focus on including the voices of Native and Indigenous communities and communities of color,” Maija says. “The goal is to enhance the park’s natural features, while also providing more recreational opportunities and access to nature for East Portland residents.”

“This is an important park because of its location in East Portland, an area that has less park space and opportunities to connect with nature,” Harrison says. “It also shows the connectivity that a creek can bring to a community. It starts at the park, moves through neighborhoods and industrial space, and eventually flows into the slough. Protecting this area will help protect the Columbia Slough as a whole.”

The Greening Wilkes Initiative incorporates a layered approach to community engagement. Community organizations have joined together in the collaborative effort to enhance and diversify green spaces throughout the neighborhood around Wilkes City Park and Wilkes Creek Headwaters in outer East Portland. Friends of Trees, Portland Audubon, Verde, Columbia Slough Watershed Council, and Portland Parks & Recreation each provide their unique and complementary approaches to community engagement around important natural resources in the Wilkes community.

“I’ve had community members tell me that they didn’t even realize that this natural spring was here,” says Harrison Layer, our Green Space Specialist who leads Wilkes Creek plantings. “It’s really special to share it with them.”

You are invited to join in shaping the future of this special place by joining the email list and applying for the project advisory committee. More info can be found here.