Tag: shade
Your thoughts on the I-205 project?
About 75 volunteers and community members gathered Saturday to plant over 160 trees with Friends of Trees via its Green Space Initiative (GSI) program.
The ceremonial planting—special dignitary shovels included—was the official start of a three-year project to plant along the I-205 Multi-Use Path.
Special representatives from the Oregon Department of Transportation, Metro and other elected officials and sponsors joined the customary Voodoo Doughnuts, Grand Central Bakery bagels, and Starbucks Coffee to make for a very special planting.
A hearty thanks to all who showed up at Heron Hill, which borders the Columbia River, just east of the airport.
Visit our online calendar to find out when the next I-205 planting will be—and read more about the GSI project by clicking one of the related tags on the right of the blog (Metro, I-205, ODOT…).
–Toshio Suzuki
The tree history of Portland
Circa the 1990s, this video produced by PGE and featuring narration by the great James DePreist, outlines Portland’s street tree history from day one to the creation of Friends of Trees.
Watch our other videos on our Youtube page.
–TS
The small yard, small tree myth
Let’s face it, city lots are small lots, but that doesn’t mean large trees won’t fit. In fact, it means just the opposite.
The problem with small trees is that the top of the tree (the wide part) is close to the ground. With a large tree, the small part (the trunk) is close to the ground.
I see this often with mature small trees: the tree takes up the entire yard and blocks the view of the house. I don’t find this very attractive but criminals likely do.
Larger trees create canopy over a house, allow for an attractive frame and keep the view from the street clear, which criminals likely find unattractive. In addition, the increased canopy coverage shades your house so it stays cool in the summer.
How an engineer plants a tree
The BBC and London Times report this week that the Institute of Mechanical Engineers has a new study on geo-engineering. One main tenet of the report: artificial trees have the potential to remove CO2 thousands of times faster than real trees—those pretty green things that also absorb runoff, provide habitat, create shade and generally please in a number of ways.
The full report also notes each artificial tree is estimated to cost $20,000. Friends of Trees’ rates start at $25 per tree.
–TS
Honk for shade, plant a tree
As covered in The Oregonian, this event was a complete success, with hundreds of recorded honks and some general tree-benefit awareness garnered for good measure.
Thanks again to the generous ice cream man!
–TS