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Tree Bark

News from Urban Forestry — All Trees, No Pulp • August 28, 2025

Urban Forestry | Get Involved | Find a Park

"Arbor Day is not like other holidays. Each of those reposes on the past, while Arbor Day proposes for the future."

Julius Sterling Morton - Politician, Editor, Founder of Arbor Day

Save the Date for Arbor Day

It’s that time of year again; time to celebrate Portland’s Arbor Day! This year’s tree celebration will take place at Sacajawea Head Start in the Cully Neighborhood. We will celebrate the diverse trees and community of Cully with lots of fun activities for adults and children.

What to expect:

• Tree planting of 15 trees
• Giving away 300 trees through the Yard Tree Giveaway
• Bill Naito Community Trees Awards
• FREE food from local vendors
• Resource booths from community organizations

Don’t miss out!

Reminder:

There are four days left to submit nominations for the Bill Naito Awards. Consider nominating an individual or group that you feel is doing great work to support, grow, and protect the urban forest. Winners will receive their awards on Arbor Day.

Trees for Residential Streets

After another summer heat wave, now is the perfect time to start thinking about planting trees for shade. Last issue, we highlighted the Free Street Trees program that plants trees in planting strips with curbs and sidewalks, called improved rights-of-way (ROW). Luckily, more Portlanders can receive free trees from the City through another planting program called Trees for Residential Streets. With Trees for Residential Streets, trees can be planted along streets without curbs or sidewalks, or unimproved ROW.

Last week, a second round of postcards went out to neighborhoods reminding property owners about trees for those sites without a curb or sidewalk. If you are interested in adding shade and beauty to your front yard or ROW, there is still time to sign up. Visit our webpage to find the list of eligible neighborhoods and learn about the sign-up process.

These are just two of the ways to get free trees from the City. Go to our website to learn more about other opportunities. 

Tree Permit and Inquiry Delays

Urban Forestry is receiving more permit requests than usual, likely because application fees were lifted on July 1. Additionally, many community members are reaching out with questions and concerns about the emerald ash borer beetle threatening our region’s beloved ash trees.

While we strive to provide quick and reliable service, increased workload—along with staff reductions in the new fiscal year—is causing our responses to take longer than usual.

Upcoming Events

Tabling at the Clinton Street Fair

Saturday, September 6, 10am to 5pm
Specific meeting location sent after registration

Celebrate community at Clinton Street Fair while helping Urban Forestry grow our city's canopy! Volunteers will help people submit interest forms for our popular Yard Tree Giveaway events that occur every fall. Share your love of trees with community members who are curious about getting them. We'll lead a short training on the program and educational materials you will use to get people to register for trees. 

Farragut Park Tree Walk 

Sunday, September 7, 10am to 12pm
Farragut Park (7736 N Kerby Ave, Portland, OR 97217)
Meet at the playground near the intersection of N Kerby and N Farragut

Join the Arbor Lodge Tree team for a tree walk at Farragut Park. During this walk we’ll explore a grove of Douglas-firs, a collection of maples and oaks, and a border of ash, dawn redwoods, and false cedars. Learn why urban trees are important and the ideal habitats for each. This event is FREE. Bring kids and friends.

Brought to you by the Arbor Lodge Tree Team

Find Your Flare

Friday, September 19, 3:30 to 6:30pm
Next to the Mt Tabor Community Garden near (SE Lincoln & SE 61st Ave, Portland, OR 97215)

One of the best ways to ensure a healthy, long-lived tree is to uncover the root flare before planting. Help us pull back soil on hundreds of trees before we give them away this fall. We'll show you how to properly prep the tree by locating the root flare and doing any necessary root pruning.

Vanport Tree Walk

Sunday September 21, 9:30 to 11:30am
Portland International Raceway (1940 N Victory Blvd, Portland, OR 97217)
Meet at gate near Vanport Marker just outside of Portland International Raceway

Dave Hedberg (Outdoor History Consulting) and Ryan Gilpin (Nidus Consulting) will lead a walk to see up to four trees that may have been part of the Vanport community back in the 1940s. This tree walk will cover the history of the community, the flood, and the Heritage Tree Program. 

Brought to you by the Arbor Lodge Tree Team

Mt Tabor Yard Tree Giveaway

Saturday, September 27 8:00am to 12:00pm
Next to the Mt Tabor Community Garden near (SE Lincoln & SE 61st Ave, Portland, OR 97215)

Join Urban Forestry at our first Yard Tree Giveaway (YTG) of the season. At this event, Urban Forestry is giving away 300+ trees for Portlanders to plant in their yards! We need volunteers to help us fill mulch buckets, load trees into cars, and uncover root flares on these young trees. No experience necessary.

Other News

Stopping the Spotted Lantern Fly

The spotted lantern fly is an invasive pest that has been found in 16 northeastern states posing a huge threat to trees and other plants, including grapes. To fight this destructive insect, municipalities are finding creative ways to detect and eliminate it using sniffer dogs, killer wasps, and pathogenic fungi.

How Not to Kill a Tree

Planting and caring for a tree with the right information is easy, but killing a tree with the wrong information is even easier. This short article explores the varied ways you can kill a tree and how to avoid these mistakes to keep yours alive.

School Yards: the Great Nature Equalizer

Research shows that access to nature for children can have profound effects on their mental and physical well-being. From stress reduction to attention restoration, trees and green spaces provide a wealth of benefits to young people in urban environments. Unfortunately, not all children have the same level of access to nature. This is especially true for youth of color and youth from families with low incomes. However, efforts to green school yards can be a solution to this equity issue.

Urban Forestry | (503) 823-8733 | Trees@PortlandOregon.gov