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Tree Bark

News from Urban Forestry — All Trees, No Pulp • July 24, 2026

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Trees for Residential Streets 

If you live in one of the following neighborhoods, we will plant and care for your trees in your front yard or right-of-way for the next three years—free of charge. Sign up here.

Argay, Centennial, Cully, East Columbia, Glenfair, Hayden Island, Hazelwood, Lents, Mill Park, Montavilla, Parkrose, Parkrose Heights, Powellhurst-Gilbert, Russell, Sumner, Sunderland, Wilkes 

How? Through the Trees for Residential Streets planting program. Thanks to the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF), Urban Forestry contracted with 17 local tree care companies of all sizes to plant and care for new trees all over Portland. This funding helps to plant trees where they are needed most through community investment in a climate resilient future.

Submit Your Nominations for the Bill Naito Awards

Urban Forestry is accepting nominations for the Bill Naito Community Trees Awards until September 1, 2026. We are looking for nominations for a community member and a community group that are doing great work within the city of Portland to grow, protect, and preserve the urban forest.

Thinking of nominating someone? Here are some questions to consider to make your submission as strong as possible:

• How many people did the project reach?
• What communities did the project reach?
• Did the project or work inspire others?
• Was the work responsive to community needs?
• Was the project or work creative or innovative in some way?
• Did it help educate the community on the importance of urban trees?

Learn more about eligibility and how to nominate someone on the Bill Naito Awards webpage.

Upcoming Events 

Neighborhood Tree Stewards Panel Discussion and Meet & Greet

Saturday, July 25, 2026, 11:30am to 1:30pm
The Portland Building (1120 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR, 97204)

This year’s Neighborhood Tree Stewards (NTS) class is nearly done, and Stewards are ready to get out into their communities to support the urban forest. As is tradition, the final class will consist of a celebration and panel discussion at the Portland Building on July 25, and you are invited!

Panelists will include community organizations, Tree Teams, and NTS alumni. They will share about their current projects to grow, protect, and preserve the urban forest. After the panel, there will be opportunity to ask questions, mingle, and enjoy a catered lunch.

This opportunity is open to NTS alums and the general public. Space is limited, so sign-up today!

Stewardship Workday at Morning Star Baptist Church

Saturday, August 8, 8:30am to 12:30pm
Morning Star Baptist Church (4927 NE 55th Ave, Portland, OR 97218)

Join Depave and Urban Forestry for a morning of tree stewardship at Morning Star Baptist Church. Morning Star, in collaboration with Depave and Friends of Trees, planted 33 trees in the new green space behind the church along with garden plots and raised beds. Volunteers will get the opportunity to support this neighborhood greening project by watering, weeding, mulching, and pruning the trees.

Livable Jade Bike Ride

Friday, August 21, 5:30 to 7:30pm
Portland Community College Southeast Campus (2305 SE 82nd Ave, Portland, OR 97206)

Urban Forestry is partnering with APANO, Vision Zero, and BIKETOWN to put on a safety and tree-focused bike ride in the Jade District. During this 4-to-5-mile ride, we will be exploring some of the Heritage Trees in the District and the new biking infrastructure along SE 82nd Ave and SE Division St.

All are welcome to join this event, and bikes will be provided through BIKETOWN, if needed.

Other News

Learn About State Heritage Trees at the World Forestry Center  

Come explore the remarkable stories held within some of Oregon’s most extraordinary trees, from ancient old-growth stands to trees whose seeds have traveled to the Moon. Join us for this Forest Pub with historian David-Paul B. Hedberg, chair of the Oregon State Heritage Tree Program, for an evening of storytelling and insight drawn from his years of work with both programs—and discover how heritage trees shape our understanding of place, memory, and time. 

Relocating Ancient Trees with the Japanese Art of Nemawashi

Like all industrialized countries, Japan faces development pressures that can threaten conservation efforts of its historic trees. But their practice of nemawashi, a specialized method of root pruning, gives culturally, historically, or ecologically important trees a new life in a different location instead of being cut down for development. The process takes months to complete and demonstrates Japan’s commitment to preserving living history.

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