Tag: Vancouver
Get To Know Vancouver
Our 22-Year Partnership Continues to Grow!
Our thriving partnership with the City of Vancouver shows how committed the city is to trees and community. Since we started planting in Vancouver in 2001, we have worked with their Urban Forestry team to grow tree counts and volunteer engagement.
“It’s great to work with a city that’s investing in trees to be proactive about climate change,” says Neighborhood Trees Senior Specialist Ian Bonham.
“It’s a really great partnership, working with a nonprofit to get trees in the ground and engage homeowners in stewardship,” says Jessica George, the City of Vancouver’s Urban Forestry Outreach Coordinator. “Friends of Trees really helps grow the understanding of how trees are important.”
With our new contract, the partnership has grown from 400 trees planted each season to up to 700 trees, and from 200 trees pruned to 300.
“Pruning is an important part of it,” Jessica says. “We need to make sure that the trees are cared for so that they can provide their benefits.”
“More investment means more results,” Ian says.
Friends of Trees has five planting events in Vancouver this season. That extra capacity has allowed us to give more attention to the Fourth Plain Corridor, a diverse, historically underserved community in need of canopy cover.
“The Fourth Plain Corridor has become a priority area for trees and engagement,” Jessica says. “Awareness of the importance of trees has really grown. We appreciate the Friends of Trees model of working with volunteers to grow the knowledge base.”
We still have room for volunteers if you want to sign up!
“We have awesome support from neighborhood coordinators,” Ian says, “and so many longtime volunteers do a lot to make it happen. It’s very collaborative, and we love to welcome new volunteers into the fold, too!”
“We’re really looking forward to it,” Jessica says. Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle and City Councilmember Sarah Fox will be in attendance.
We’ve also partnered with Vancouver on workforce development. They have hosted an AmeriCorps member since 2007 to work on community tree planting. In fact, both of our dedicated Vancouver staff came to us from the AmeriCorps position. The position was created to give capacity to both Friends of Trees and Vancouver as a sort of Super Neighborhood Coordinator. The position has morphed as the partnership has grown, but still supports Friends of Trees work in Vancouver. Vancouver Urban Forestry also hosts interns from our Adult Urban Forestry and Restoration Workplace Training Program.
The City of Vancouver is in the process of updating its Urban Forestry Management Plan, and is looking for public input. If you want to see more trees in your community, fill out their community survey.
Get To Know Our Planting Partners
Our municipal relationships are key to our regional growth
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. It all started in 2002 when we partnered to create native plant areas in Memorial Park. In recent years, we have expanded this successful partnership to include neighborhood tree plantings, with an annual goal of 200 neighborhood trees per year.
Vancouver is another city where the community continually shows up to make an impact. We had four incredible plantings this year to meet our goal of adding more than 400 trees to Vancouver’s urban canopy Friends of Trees has been planting trees and growing community in Southwest Washington since 2003, and we’ve engaged local volunteers to plant nearly 8,000 trees here.
“Planting trees is one of my favorite things to do when it comes to volunteering,” said Vancouver Councilmember Sara J. Fox at a Friends of Trees planting event this year. “Even if it’s not your tree, it’s all of our trees.”
Our Eugene Branch continues to grow their work in both Eugene and Springfield, expanding beyond street trees to include yard trees as well, in addition to continuing with natural area restoration events at sites like the Northwest Expressway. The City of Eugene has been a valuable partner, and we continue to work closely with them to grow a vision together.
“Springfield is an important geography for our equity work,” says Eugene Director Erik Burke. “We are looking to more than double our annual tree goal there.”
This is just a taste of the growth we’ve had throughout the region. We continue to make strides alongside our municipal partners in Gresham, Oregon City, Milwaukie, Salem, Tualatin, Tigard and Beaverton. We’re excited to be expanding our planting events in Hillsboro, too, where after years of restoration work, we’ll be adding street trees events to our calendar.
A lot of trees and tree stories – 16,000+ trees planted so far this season!
“It was an amazing day, perfect weather, awesome people and healthy trees! Couldn’t ask for a better planting day, truly.” Alex, volunteer tree planter (above photo taken at our Gresham planting event)
So far in our 2019-20 planting season we’ve planted more than 16,000 trees and native shrubs! Here are some highlights from some amazing days this season:
Neighborhood Trees Program: 820 trees planted
“It was wonderful to plant in our neighborhood! I look forward to checking up on all of our trees over the next few years.” -Neighborhood Trees volunteer planter
Green Space Program: 15,800 trees planted
“The team created a warm and welcoming environment. It was a lovely event that we truly enjoyed!” -Green Space planting volunteer
Get to know our partner: the City of Vancouver
“Friends of Trees does more than simply plant a tree at a Vancouver resident’s house. They plant the right tree, the right way, in the right location.” -Charles Ray, City of Vancouver Urban Forester
For 16 years Friends of Trees has been planting the right trees, the right way, for Vancouver residents in partnership with the City of Vancouver. Currently more than 500 trees are planted every year here, thanks to the help of hundreds of community volunteers.
Vancouver’s Urban Forester, Charles Ray, reflects on this long-lasting, impactful partnership, and the important role trees play in the community,
“Vancouver has a long history with trees and considers trees community assets that provide multiple benefits, including clean water. The simple truth is trees in the community have practical, quantifiable values and are not merely decorations. They provide essential benefits that we cannot live without.
“We are fortunate to have an organization like Friends of Trees that shares the same mission and helps us accomplish more. Most municipal programs across the country dream of having an opportunity such as this. Friends of Trees does more than simply plant a tree at a Vancouver resident’s house. They plant the right tree, the right way, in the right location.
“Friends of Trees engages that person several times through the process, enabling staff and volunteers to share the benefits of trees and educate them about the City’s processes and requirements around trees. It also offers them an opportunity to engage hands-on with the community asset, the tree that will be planted in front of their house. This often leads to stronger community connections and civic involvement, and knowledge of the benefits, how to care for and needs of the urban forest.
“Planting the right tree in the right place and giving it the right care and pruning make all the difference to ensuring a healthy urban forest today and for generations to come. It only takes a minute to improperly prune or remove a tree but a lifetime to grow one.
“We cannot do it alone. I am excited by Friends of Trees’ commitment to Vancouver and the community’s efforts to meet this need. If I could ask for one thing it would be participation from the business community to sponsor plantings so that we can increase our annual planting goals with Friends of Trees.”
Charles, we couldn’t say it better ourselves; Vancouver businesses, join us!
Pictured above: Far left, Jessica George, City of Vancouver; standing, third from left, UF Program intern Bruce
This is from the April 2019 edition of our e-news, Treemail; check out that issue of Treemail, and others, here.
Bicycles + Trees: A match made in Portland
By Ian Bonham
(photo: Greg Raisman)
We ride our bikes a lot here in Portland.
You ride your bike to work. You ride your bike to the grocery store. You ride your bike while eating a vegan donut with cereal on top. You even ride your bike in a sea of naked people.
So it only makes sense that, here in the Pacific Northwest, you also get to ride your bike while planting trees on Saturday morning (fully clothed, of course–it’s cool out there!).
Here at Friends of Trees we’re snapping our rain fenders back on, refreshing our rain gear, and pumping up the tires on our trailers in preparation for another season of planting trees–on our bicycles!
Sign up here:
Join a bike planting crew this season!
We need your help! Let us know what role works best for you: tree planter, tool carrier, tree chauffeur, or some combination of the three. Meet your neighbors, get some exercise, and beautify Portland & Vancouver neighborhoods all at the same time. And let’s not forget the breakfast coffee and treats, as well as a potluck lunch to fuel you up!
Bikes, Trees, and happy planters. (photo: Greg Raisman)
Bicycling crews transport all of the trees, tools and people to various homes in the neighborhood to plant trees that will ultimately absorb CO2 and mitigate stormwater runoff—as well as a host of intangible benefits.
2015 Neighborhood Bike Plantings (sign up here):
- 1.24.15 :: Laurelhurst, Kerns, Sunnyside, N. Tabor (SE Portland)
- 1.31.15 :: Piedmont, Woodlawn (NE Portland)
- 2.14.15 :: Boise, Eliot, Humboldt, King (NE Portland)
- 2.21.15 :: West Vancouver Neighborhoods
If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Jenny Bedell-Stiles or Ian Bonham at [email protected] or use our volunteer hotline: 503-595-0213.
—Ian is the Volunteer & Outreach Program Specialist for Friends of Trees.