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Letter from the Editor
Hey there! My name is Brittany Oxford and as some of you know I am just getting started in my new role as the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Urban and Community Assistance Forester. I am honored to serve this great state and excited to meet you all and talk trees! My vision for the new version of this newsletter is a shorter, more frequent publication that keeps us all in conversation with each other. What better month to debut the first issue than Arbor Month? Let me know how you like it! In this issue I will cover:
• Oregon’s Arbor Month proclamation and ways to celebrate
• The Arbor Day Foundation program updates
• Community highlights
• Oregon Community Trees Corner
• Announcements and updates for upcoming events
Happy Planting, Brittany
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State Forester Mukumoto proclaims
April as Oregon Arbor Month
SALEM, Ore. — State Forester Calvin Mukumoto has proclaimed all of April as Oregon Arbor Month, allowing lots of time for commemorative plantings and other tree-related activities.
“Trees play an essential role in the lives of Oregonians,” said State Forester Mukumoto. “Living through the extreme heat of 2021 and the isolation of the COVID pandemic has brought home to all of us the importance of urban trees to provide shade and cooling, as well as contact with nature right in our own neighborhoods. This proclamation highlights those and the many other benefits that both rural and urban forests provide to the people of Oregon.” Read the full text of the proclamation here.
Ways to Celebrate Arbor Month in your Community!
National Arbor Day is designated on the last Friday of April, but your town can celebrate it at any time. Are you looking for inspiration? Look no more! Here are suggestions and resources (all from the Arbor Day Foundation) to make your celebration fun, memorable, and successful.
• Hold an Arbor Day ceremony and honor the good stewards in your community.
• Organize a Big Tree or Oldest Tree search within your community.
• Plant a tree.
• Host a reception to honor the Tree Board members in your community.
• Write a story, produce a play, or present a skit about trees.
• Choose a public park or downtown area to clean up.
• Read a book about trees, donate a tree-related book, or hold a read-in at the library.
• Hold an Arbor Day birthday party for the community.
• Sponsor a craft show featuring exhibitors who engage in crafts with natural materials.
• Schedule classes on tree pruning, tree selection, tree identification and/or tree planting.
• Host a concert.
• Sponsor a poster contest, poetry contest or tree trivia contest.
• Organize a tree identification hike.
• Volunteer with a local tree-planting organization.
• Encourage neighborhood organizations to hold Arbor Day block parties.
You will find an official proclamation, coloring pages, music, customizable yard signs and banners, and more on Celebration Materials at arborday.org.
Tree-related activities for K-12 and the young at heart are found on Educational Resources at arborday.org.
Discover tools to organize the planning of an event on Event Planning Materials at arborday.org.
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Community Highlights
Congratulations to the city of Talent for winning the
2023 Oregon Tree City of the year award!
 TALENT, Ore. – The Oregon Department of Forestry has selected the southern Oregon town of Talent to be Oregon’s Tree City of the Year. Only one community is chosen each year from across the state.
To be eligible for Tree City of the Year honors, a community must be a Tree City USA. To become a Tree City USA, communities must meet requirements of the national Arbor Day Foundation for having basic tree-care policies and management in place. Talent has held that status for 23 years. Last year was also the fourth time the City earned a Growth Award for significant improvements to its urban forestry program.
A fast-moving wildfire in 2020 destroyed about 40 percent of the city, leaving thousands without homes and killing a heart-breaking number of its trees. Before the fire, Talent did not have an accurate inventory of its urban trees. With help from ODF urban forestry grants, Talent has gained access to inventory software from PlanIt Geo (Treeplotter). The City inventoried 1,500 street and park trees throughout the community – about one-third of the estimated public trees in Talent. From this data Talent is able to figure out the size, diversity, ecosystem services, and economic loss resulting from the destroyed portion of its urban forest.
“After being devastated by the 2020 wildfire, Talent has rallied as a community, becoming very invested and committed to their urban forest. In the face of traumatic and devastating loss, they still managed to outscore all of our other growth award applicants,” said ODF Urban and Community Assistance Forester Brittany Oxford. “Most notably, they have been mapping their canopy with an equity-informed focus guiding their reforestation efforts. The City is working hard to ensure the historically underserved in Talent are the starting point from which they begin to reforest and recover.”
“This recognition was earned by the hard work of so many dedicated people in Talent, from elected city commissioners, Tree Board, volunteers and city staff, such as our new Hazard Mitigation Coordinator Mike Oxendine,” said Talent Mayor Darby Ayres-Flood. “It shows the resilience and determination of our town to come back even better than we were before the wildfire.” Read the full article here.
Willamette Valley town of Halsey becomes
Oregon’s newest Tree City USA
 HALSEY, Ore. – The latest Oregon community to earn a Tree City USA designation from the national Arbor Day Foundation is Halsey. Nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley just west of I-5 in Linn County, Halsey is the 70th city in Oregon to gain the designation as a tree-friendly community. With a population of just 952, the town is also one of Oregon’s smallest Tree City USA communities. It’s also one of the oldest, having been incorporated in 1876.
Halsey Mayor Jerry Lachenbruch said, “It is extremely exciting to be awarded “Tree City” status. The commitment to our community in general and the trees in our community specifically is much more important than one would think. We all know that trees eat the greenhouse gases that cause climate change and in doing so make our air cleaner for us to breathe, but trees do so much more. Read the full article here.
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ADF Program Updates
Important news from the Arbor Day Foundation regarding 2023 applications.
In the calendar year 2023, an Arbor Day observance and proclamation (Standard 4) is required to earn or maintain recognition status in the Tree City USA Program. Tree Campuses-Higher Education are required to hold an observance, and Tree Line USAs are required to sponsor or participate in observances. Proclamations are required to be signed and dated for approval. Local proclamations and celebrations can occur anytime during 2022, but Oregon Arbor Month is a great time to consider holding a tree-related event!
It is official! We are thrilled to announce that 70 Oregon communities have achieved 2022 Tree City USA recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation (see table below). Does your city participate?
Cheers to the 14 Tree City USA communities that achieved a Tree City USA Growth Award! These cities accomplished tree care and community engagement activities that help build sustainable urban & community forestry programs. We applaud the cities of Beaverton, Central Point, Corvallis, Cottage Grove, Eugene, Hillsboro, La Grande, Lake Oswego, Medford, Milwaukie, Portland, Redmond, Salem, and Talent.
Cities that achieve at least 10 Growth Awards over the years gain Sterling Tree City USA status. Cheers to Oregon’s 12 Sterling Tree Cities: Beaverton, Corvallis, Echo, Eugene, Grants Pass, La Grande, Lebanon, Medford, Portland, Salem, Tualatin, and Wilsonville.
Six Oregon colleges and universities achieved Tree Campus Higher Education status in 2022. A round of applause to Central Oregon Community College, Eastern Oregon University, Oregon State University, Portland Community College, Southern Oregon University, and Western Oregon University for being Oregon’s 2022 Higher Education Tree Campuses! Does your college or university campus participate?
We send a special congratulations to PacifiCorp – aka Pacific Power – for reaching their 21st year of participation in the Tree Line USA Program! Does your utility participate?
To all the staff and volunteers of Oregon’s Tree City USAs, Tree Campuses, and Tree Line USAs - We applaud all the work you do to support healthy Oregon urban and community forests. On behalf of all Oregonians, thank you!
Sharpen Your Skills
Springtime is a good time to prune and plant trees! The links below are great resources to sharpen your skills, post them online to provide educational resources for the tree stewards in your community!
Steps to Planting a Tree – Dr. Ed Gilman’s webpage on how to plant a tree
Pruning Landscape Trees – Dr. Ed Gilman’s great resources for pruning trees
EAB Information
Oregon Department of Forestry has put together a newsletter specifically for updates and best management practices around the response to the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). For more information about EAB in Oregon visit EAB Oregon Website and email Jim Gersbach to subscribe to future EAB email updates.
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Tree Cities
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TREE CITY USA 2022
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YEARS APPROVED
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Albany
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29
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Ashland
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38
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Aumsville
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6
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Baker City
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38
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Bandon
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14
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Banks
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17
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Beaverton
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29
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Bend
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20
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Brownsville
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17
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Cannon Beach
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15
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Central Point
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10
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Coburg
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25
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Coos Bay
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29
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Corvallis
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22
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Cottage Grove
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29
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Creswell
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13
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Dallas
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15
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Donald
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3
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Eagle Point
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31
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Echo
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34
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Eugene
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44
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Falls City
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7
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Florence
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4
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Forest Grove
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33
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Gervais
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16
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Grants Pass
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35
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Gresham
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15
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Halsey
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1
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Happy Valley
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19
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Hillsboro
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5
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Independence
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11
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Klamath Falls
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20
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La Grande
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33
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Lake Oswego
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34
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Lebanon
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21
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Lincoln City
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15
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Madras
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30
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McMinnville
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26
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Medford
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27
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Milwaukie
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7
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Monmouth
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21
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Newport
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11
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Oregon City
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11
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Pendleton
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6
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Philomath
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29
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Portland
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46
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Redmond
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18
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Reedsport
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19
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Rivergrove
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6
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Rogue River
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40
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Roseburg
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7
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Salem
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47
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Sandy
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18
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Seaside
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25
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Sherwood
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18
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Silverton
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4
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Sisters
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16
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Stanfield
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9
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Sunriver
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43
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Sweet Home
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36
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Talent
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23
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Tigard
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22
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Tillamook
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36
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Toledo
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29
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Troutdale
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23
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Tualatin
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36
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Umatilla
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5
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Veneta
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14
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West Linn
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30
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Wilsonville
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25
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Oregon Community Trees gives grants to six communities to boost Oregon Arbor Month events
SALEM, Ore. – Oregon Community Trees (OCT) has awarded a total of almost $3,000 to six Oregon communities to help them boost their Oregon Arbor Month events. During the month of April, Oregonians across the state celebrate their community trees and the many benefits they bring. Click to read full article.
 We are excited to share that Oregon’s Urban and Community Forestry Conference is back in person this year on June 1! The focus this year is “What’s Bugging Our Trees? Coping with Emerald Ash Borer in the PNW” see agenda below for details on speaker and panelist topics.
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AGENDA —
7:00 - 8:00 ~ Sign in and refreshments
8:00 - 8:15 ~ President's Welcome
Mike Oxendine, Oregon Community Trees
8:15 - 8:45 ~ What's Bugging Our Trees: An Overview
Karen Ripley PhD, Forest Entomologist, USFS
8:45 - 9:30 ~ EAB and Other Looming Pests of Oregon Forests
Wyatt Williams PhD, Invasive Species Specialist, ODF
9:30 - 10:15 ~ Human Health Impacts from Canopy Changes
Geoffrey Donovan PhD, USFS Research Scientist
10:15 - 10:30 ~ Break
10:30 - 11:00 ~ Tree Inventories: A Vital First Step
Russell Clark, PlanIT Geo
11:00 - 12:00 ~ Panel Discussion
Treatment or Removal Options for Ash Trees
12:00 - 1:00 ~ Lunch
1:00 - 2:00 ~ Panel Discussion
Innovative Ideas for What to Do With Ash Wood
2:00 - 3:00 ~ Panel Discussions Break Out
Session A ~ Alternatives to Ash: Resilient Options for Natural Areas
Session B ~ Alternatives to Ash: Resilient Options for Streets, Parks and Yards
3:00 - 3:15 ~ Closing remarks
3:15 - 4:15 ~ Social Hour
We hope to see you all there! Don’t miss the early bird registration ending April 26th! Discounted tickets are available for students. Find out more information and get your ticket here: octconference.mystrikingly.com
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Upcoming Events
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Forest Stewards Guild: Western Oregon Urban Forests for the Birds - Friday, May 19
Located at the Portland Audubon. To learn more and to register: foreststewardsguild.org/events
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Urban and Community Forestry Conference - Thursday, June 1
Last day to register to get an early bird discount is April 26. Located at Miller Hall, World Forestry Center in Portland, OR. Discounted tickets are available for students.octconference.mystrikingly.com
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PNW ISA 2-Day Tree Appraisal In-Person Workshop - July 10-11
Located in Oregon City. To learn more and to register: Pacific Northwest ISA (pnwisa.org)
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Community Assistance Forester near you! Want to meet with me and talk trees? Send me an email. I will be traveling all around Oregon this year meeting with community members to talk about their Urban Forestry needs.
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Contact Us
Brittany Oxford
Community Assistance Forester
971.375.6346
Email
Scott Altenhoff
Urban and Community Forestry Program Manager
971.428.7380
Email
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 ODF's Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Program celebrated 30 years of service in 2021!
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About the Community Tree Connections Newsletter
Community Tree Connections (CTC) is a periodic publication by the Oregon Department of Forestry, Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Program. Our mission is to help Oregonians improve their quality of life by promoting community investment in our urban forests. CTC is published in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Subscriptions to Community Tree Connections are free. Sign up to receive the newsletter.
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