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Tree Bark
News from Urban Forestry — All Trees, No Pulp • July 24, 2025
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Updates to the Approved Street Tree Planting Lists
 Urban Forestry staff have updated the Approved Street Tree Planting Lists (Lists) to better support the City’s commitment to a healthy, diverse, and climate-adapted urban forest.
Community members can use the Lists to choose appropriate street trees for each site, following the principle of "right tree, right place." The Lists are organized by planting strip width and the presence or absence of overhead high-voltage power lines.
The updates add species that are better adapted to a warming climate and more species native to the Pacific Northwest. Trees that have struggled to thrive in Portland have been removed. The updates were informed by stakeholder input, Porland’s tree inventory and monitoring data, scientific research, and regional expertise.
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Sign-ups Open for Free Street Trees
 Sign-ups are open for Trees for Residential Streets, our newest planting program. With this new program you can request a tree to be planted in your planting strip or front yard and even help choose the species!
After you sign up, one of our arborists will check for utilities and visit your property to find the perfect spot for your tree(s). We’ll plant your tree between November and March, and our team will take care of watering, weeding, and maintenance for three years for free.
Focus neighborhoods for this year:
• Brentwood-Darlington • Centennial • Glenfair • Hazelwood • Lents • Mill Park • Montavilla • Parkrose • Parkrose Heights • Powellhurst-Gilbert
Not in these neighborhoods? Sign up anyway. We’ll add you to our waitlist and let you know when we’re planting near you.
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Call for Bill Naito Award Nominations
 Each year, Urban Forestry gives two Bill Naito Community Trees Awards to a group and an individual whose volunteer work has enhanced Portland's urban forest and inspired others to recognize the beauty and benefits of trees. This award was created in honor of civic leader, Bill Naito. Since 1997 Urban Forestry has given out 45 awards to deserving community members and groups. One such awardee is Kyna Rubin who received the honor in 2021.
Kyna is a writer and a years-long volunteer for trees, including as a nature educator at Hoyt Arboretum and as a former Friends of Trees neighborhood coordinator. She is a founder of Trees for Life Oregon, a volunteer organization that advocates for existing large, long-lived trees and space to plant new ones across Portland. Her work centers around education and advocacy to monitor and strengthen policies affecting our tree canopy.
If you know of a community member or group that is doing outstanding work like Kyna, consider submitting a nomination for them by the September 1 deadline.
Read more about Kyna and other former Naito Award winners.
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Give Your Trees a Drink
 This is your friendly, monthly reminder to water your young trees. With more hot days ahead, people aren’t the only ones who will need a little extra care and hydration. Trees, especially those three years old and younger, will need 15 to 20 gallons of water, per week, until the rainy season begins in the fall. Keep in mind that trees need to be watered slowly, giving the roots sufficient time to properly absorb the water. With hotter, drier, and longer summers here in Portland, even mature trees could benefit from an extra drink.
Watering is one of the best things you can do to support your trees, but not everyone knows about it. Want to spread the word? Share our summer tree care press release on social media. Consider reaching out to your neighborhood association to send out community reminders for watering. You can even organize a neighborhood watering party.
There is no effort too small to support our urban forest and the trees will thank you.
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Event Highlight: Door Hanging in Brentwood-Darlington
 On Saturday, July 12, Urban Forestry volunteers gathered in Brentwood-Darlington to share information with neighbors about an opportunity to receive free street trees through our newly launched Trees for Residential Streets program. Volunteers worked with Urban Forestry staff to distribute doorhangers throughout the neighborhood.
In the past, Urban Forestry could only plant free street trees in rights-of-way with a curb and sidewalk, also known as improved streets. Now, thanks to this program, homeowners on streets without curbs or sidewalks (unimproved streets) are also eligible for free trees.
This doorhanging event was a huge success. A group of 21 dedicated volunteers distributed nearly 1,100 doorhangers, resulting in a 70 percent increase in registrations within just five days. To celebrate their hard work, volunteers enjoyed tamales for lunch and took home some Urban Forestry swag. We are incredibly grateful to our amazing volunteers. Their efforts will help make Brentwood-Darlington a cooler, more comfortable neighborhood for its residents.
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Upcoming Events
Doorhanging Volunteer Event in Centennial
August 10, 10am to 1pm
Parklane Park (15309 SE Main St, Portland, OR 97233)
Join Urban Forestry for a volunteer event to help bring more trees to Centennial!
Urban Forestry is launching a new program that offers free street trees to residents with planting space in front of their homes where there’s no sidewalk or curb. Many of the streets in Centennial fall into this category, making it a great opportunity to grow the neighborhood’s tree canopy. With limited tree cover, Centennial is especially vulnerable to heat, but planting more trees can help cool it down, improve air quality, and support community well-being. Join fellow tree lovers in spreading the word, by hanging as many doorhangers as you can in just two hours.
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Tabling at the Clinton Street Fair
September 6, 10:00am to 5:00pm
Specific meeting location sent after registration
Celebrate community at the Clinton Street Fair while helping Urban Forestry grow our city's canopy! Volunteers alongside Urban Forestry staff will help people submit interest forms for our popular Yard Tree Giveaway events that occur every fall. Share your love of trees with folks curious about getting up to three free trees! We'll provide a short training on the Yard Tree Giveaway program and education materials you can use to get people excited about trees.
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Other News
Share Your Tree Story
We are still accepting Tree Story submissions for the Yard Tree Giveaway. This year, we're giving away 4,000 free trees to Portland residents as a part of the Yard Tree Giveaway and we need your help to spread the word.
If you have received a free yard tree from us in the past, we’d love to hear about your experience. Your story can inspire other Portlanders to participate and plant a free tree in their own yards. You can share your tree story by filling out this form and including a photo of your tree.
Tell your story to support growing our urban forest!
Combatting Heat Islands with Trees
Urban heat islands are areas within cities and suburban environments that experience hotter temperatures due to increased development and less green infrastructure. Fortunately, trees can be a useful tool to help mitigate these increased temperatures by creating shade, reducing energy usage, and a process called evapotranspiration. Read how these three strategies work and learn about two tree planting case studies from Miami and Phoenix.
Flighting Climate Change with Trees in Southern California
Want to dive even deeper into the world of climate change mitigation through trees? Watch this 26-minute episode of Earth Focus from PBS SoCal, highlighting work done by community groups in southern California to plant trees in underserved neighborhoods.
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