Tag: planting
Celebrate Earth Month with us in 2026
VOLUNTEER | DONATE
EARTH MONTH FUNDRAISERS
You can support Friends of Trees while you’re out on the town by visiting our business partners. Eat, drink, and plant trees!
- Deschutes Brewery: $1 donated to Friends of Trees for every pint sold on Tuesday, 4/7; Tuesday 4/14; Wednesday 4/22 (Earth Day!); Tuesday 4/28
- Burgerville, Tuesday 4/21, 9am to 10pm. Burgerville is donating 20% of proceeds from customers who present a flyer or mention Friends of Trees at all Portland Metro Area locations (except PDX): Montavilla, St. Johns, Convention Center, Hawthorne, 25 & Powell, Gresham, Centennial, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Aloha, Scholls & Allen
- Carioca Bowls 10% of sales donated to Friends of Trees all day on Wednesday, 4/22 (Earth Day!).
- Cafe Yumm (all locations) A percentage of sales donated to Friends of Trees all day on Wednesday, 4/22 (Earth Day!)
stay tuned for more fundraisers!
In honor of Earth Day and Arbor Day, and in celebration of all we do together to make our world greener and healthier for all, Friends of Trees is celebrating for the entire month of April–and here’s how you can join in!
It feels good to get outside, meet new people, and work together to make your neighborhood a greener place, full of trees and native plants that fight climate change, cool our homes, clean our air and water, and so much more. Come do good with us This April!
“I love spending my Saturdays getting to know new people and picking up on their good vibes! I absolutely love every Saturday that I spend planting trees.” -Hailey, volunteer.
YOU CAN BE A PART OF THIS
Our 37th planting is still going strong, and we’d love to see you at a community volunteer event! We have impactful planting and stewardship events all through April, and it’s incredible to see what happens when you get dozens of volunteers together working toward a common goal. For most, volunteering with us just means showing up on a Saturday morning with good boots and good spirits, ready to plant trees or native plants alongside friends old and new.
Check out volunteer roles here and check out our event calendar here to register for an event that’s right for you.
“It’s planting trees. How much better does it get? Giving back to the planet is all sorts of good.” -Devin, volunteer
JOIN US AT OUR ANNUAL TREE SALE
Sunday, April 19th, 10 AM- 2 PM
Friends of Trees office: 3117 NE MLK Jr BLVD
We’re offering our locally sourced, high-quality shade trees at a discounted wholesale price. Plus other fun stuff!
JOIN US ON A TREE WALK
Throughout April, we host neighborhood tree walks led by our super knowledgeable program staff. They are usually a weekday evening and last an hour or two. It’s a great way to learn and share tree facts and connect with your neighbors.
Stay tuned to this page and your inbox for a Tree Walk opportunity near you! Sign up for our email list here.
BUY MERCH THAT PLANTS TREES
Friends of Trees has a new online Merch store! We have hats, sweatshirts, and tees with a bunch of fun designs. The apparel is printed on demand and shipped when you order—it takes about two weeks to arrive. This merch plants trees, with a portion of each sale benefitting Friends of Trees.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
It also feels good to support this work, and you’ll be doing good by making a donation. Your support will help us meet our goal of meeting our April goal, closing out our 37th planting season strong. It’s been a season filled with partnerships, students, field trips, and, of course, trees. Donations from friends like you are the only reason we are able to plant so many trees, with so many volunteers, year after year—thank you for being a part of this!
“The sense of community and happiness I get from a Saturday planting event lasts the whole week!” -Krista, volunteer
FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA FEEDS FOR FUN CONTENT
Find us on Facebook and Instagram to see the Earth Month action throughout April and beyond!
Feel Good. Do Good. Plant Trees.
VOLUNTEER | DONATE
Every year, thousands of volunteers come together to plant trees at a Friends of Trees event. Together, we’ve planted more than 1 million trees and native plants since 1989. Out of the millions of reasons people come out, one stands out: it feels good.
It feels good to get outside, meet new people, and work together to make your neighborhood a greener place, full of trees and native plants that fight climate change, cool our homes, clean our air and water, and so much more. Come do good with us starting in October!
“I love spending my Saturdays getting to know new people and picking up on their good vibes! I absolutely love every Saturday that I spend planting trees.” -Hailey, volunteer.
YOU CAN BE A PART OF THIS
Our 37th planting season has begun, and we’d love to see you at a planting event! We plant every Saturday, October through April, and it’s incredible to see what happens when you get dozens of volunteers together working toward a common goal. For most, volunteering with us just means showing up on a Saturday morning with warm layers and a warm spirit, ready to plant trees or native plants alongside friends old and new.
Check out volunteer roles here and check out our event calendar here to register for an event that’s right for you.
“It’s planting trees. How much better does it get? Giving back to the planet is all sorts of good.” -Devin, volunteer
Many of you have heard by now the exciting news that Friends of Trees has a new partnership with the City of Portland, planting trees in neighborhoods that need trees most. Learn more about the partnership and what Portland neighborhoods we’re planting in.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
It also feels good to support this work, and you’ll be doing good by making a donation. Your support will help us meet our goal of raising $40,000 this October, getting our 37th planting season off to a strong start, a season filled with partnerships, students, field trips, and, of course, trees. Donations from friends like you are the only reason we are able to plant so many trees, with so many volunteers, year after year—thank you for being a part of this!
“The sense of community and happiness I get from a Saturday planting event lasts the whole week!” -Krista, volunteer
Reforesting Forest Grove
Reforesting 13th Place, Forest Grove
We’re hosting our first neighborhood trees planting event in Forest Grove on January 18th, 2025! We will be replacing street trees along 13th Place that were recently removed because of the infestation of emerald ash borer in the community.
Emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive and highly destructive beetle that infests and kills ash trees, was first located in Forest Grove in 2022. Since its introduction to Oregon, EAB has killed and caused the significant decline of ash trees in both urban and natural areas. To slow the invasive spread of EAB, Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) collaborated to remove infested and dying ash trees, notably impacting neighborhoods in southeast Forest Grove.
Summer 2024 proved to be one of the hottest summer’s in Oregon history, setting the record for the hottest July ever recorded. With large, mature trees creating shade to cool communities removed, this Forest Grove community felt the tangible effects of canopy loss in their neighborhood. It leaves communities asking the question, what happens next when portions of the urban forest must be removed for the health of the overall urban canopy?
On January 18, 2025 Friends of Trees will host a community tree planting event replanting trees along the right-of-way on 13th Place in Forest Grove. The goal of this planting is to reestablish and plant a resilient tree canopy along 13th Place. This is a free event and a great chance to meet neighbors, learn tree planting techniques, and be an active part of local climate change mitigation!
Residents who qualify for free replacement tree(s) will receive communications via mail with instructions on how to choose their free replacement tree(s).
Return the sign-up mailer and you’ll be one step closer to choosing a city approved tree for the space. If you do not return the mailer, Friends of Trees will choose one for you; don’t worry we’ll pick a good one for you!
This event is made possible by Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF).
Leaflet: It’s Time To Put Down Some Roots
Last month, we told you why you should leave the leaves. We got such great feedback that we decided to create a regular tree care column, Leaflet, so that our eager experts can pass on their knowledge. We’ll share best practices for tree care and maintenance, explore common myths and misconceptions, and dig into the science behind it all.
“Now that the leaves are on the ground, we get busy,” says Neighborhood Trees Senior Specialist Drew Land about the November tree planting season. “Speaking of busy, roots are always busy.” We plant trees now so that while the trees are dormant above ground, they can focus on establishing their roots below ground. From timing to mulching to watering, our strategies help shape the tree’s root system.
“Street trees are not truly part of the urban forest until their roots start to intermingle,” Drew says. That’s why making sure a tree’s roots get established properly is a crucial part of planting and maintenance.
Because roots are almost entirely underground, we don’t really think about the shape of their structure. Rather than just a main tap root that goes straight down, 85% of a tree’s roots are within the top 24 inches of soil, or at least they should be. In the urban environment, roots are often up against the challenge of compacted and nutrient-depleted soil. In situations like these, roots will be too shallow, because they don’t have the space to seek out water and oxygen. Trees in the forest enjoy uncompacted soil with plenty of air and water spaces below ground. This also gives room for the fungal and microbial activity that brings soil to life.
“Roots are opportunists,” Drew says. “They follow the resources.” Given the right moisture and temperature, tree roots can grow year round. Insulation from mulch maintains those conditions, and we spread it in a way that encourages the roots to grow outward. Similarly, we shouldn’t just water at the base of a tree’s trunk, but should aim to water the tips of roots as they grow outward from the trunk. And we should water long enough that it sinks beyond the surface. Deep, infrequent watering mimics natural rain storms and gives roots what they need to spread both outward and downward. “Well-meaning people often shallow water on a daily basis, but that only feeds grass/weeds and not the tree roots a foot below. “
Tree roots come in two main types: structural roots and feeder roots. Structural roots are woody, and serve as the architecture to keep the tree upright. Feeder roots, which are much more like root hairs, are in charge of absorbing water and nutrients.
Maybe you have heard the myth that tree roots can grow into your sewer or water pipes and bust them open. Drew is here to officially bust that myth. He says that while roots are opportunistic, they are not invasive. “So the roots are not busting your sewer line,” he promises. “Your line is already busted and the roots found a tasty water source.”
Recreating ideal natural conditions is the best way to ensure that the roots of our urban trees stay healthy. “Roots are like muscles,” Drew says. “They grow in response to stress.” When you tie a newly planted tree too tightly to a support, it won’t have the freedom to move in the wind, building up those root “muscles” to support itself.
Getting the roots established is one of the most important reasons we plant new trees in the fall. “Planting trees now, while they’re dormant, will build their resilience,” Drew says. ”In ten months, when autumn winds hit their leaves for the first time, they’ll be ready.”
Further reading:
- “Roots Demystified” by Robert Kourik
- “Up by Roots” by Jim Urban
Get to know our partner: Wisdom of the Elders
“Partnering with Friends of Trees has helped teach Wisdom interns management skills; we learn how to manage a business, how to engage with business people, it prepares everybody for employment.” – Alvey Seeyouma, Wisdom Workforce Development Program Coordinator and Crew Leader Supervisor
The Wisdom of the Elders-Friends of Trees partnership began four years ago when our Neighborhood Trees Program needed some post-planting help. We had a number of street trees that didn’t get planted at a Saturday planting event and we were able to contract with Wisdom Workforce to plant those trees.
Soon after that first partnership experience, Wisdom hosted a community conversation for its partners, toward sharing information about how best to partner together in a way that is thoughtful and respectful. We participated in a Talking Circle, where there was honest communication about the native perspective on the dominant culture and environmental issues.
The partnership grew, and Wisdom’s post-planting support evolved to include mulching newly planted trees. Wisdom participants also began engaging on planting day, through training and participating as Crew Leaders, which provided opportunities for the organizations to work together more closely. We’ve now added pruning as a partnership element, providing even more hands on tree care experience.
Wisdom Workforce Program Coordinator Alvey Seeyouma participated in the Urban Forestry Training Program and, through that program, interned with Friends of Trees. Alvey says that the benefits of the partnership extend beyond Friends of Trees and Wisdom of the Elders, “Oh my gosh, I think our partnership benefits all communities. It helps the Wisdom crew leaders become more comfortable with their engagement with the community, so it benefits everyone.” He lists some more benefits of the partnership, “Wisdom interns are learning new skills through the community tree planting events. They’re learning about tree identification, planting techniques, and about community engagement through training as Crew Leaders.”
What would Alvey want folks to know about Friends of Trees? “Friends of Trees is a great organization. Everyone in the office, they’re so helpful, so kind and generous. They want everyone’s experience to be positive; they’ve offered so much training, which we are so grateful for.” Friends of Trees is equally grateful for the opportunity to enhance our organization and our community tree planting events through partnering with Alvey and everyone at Wisdom of the Elders.
Wisdom of the Elders records and preserves traditional cultural values, oral history, prophesy and other messages of guidance from indigenous elders in order to regenerate the greatness of culture among today’s and future generations of native peoples. Learn more at www.wisdomoftheelders.org
Pictured above: Matt, Bruce, Dave and Will of Wisdom of the Elders at a recent SE Portland tree planting event.
This story is from the January 2020 edition of our e-news, Treemail; check out other issues of Treemail here.