What are some of the unique pleasures and interesting
challenges of urban forestry in your community?
Gina: Something I really like is that we are in Zone
8 here in Portland, which means we can grow pine
trees and palm trees, which is fun for us. Trees can
grow quite large here because of the abundant rain
and long growing season. In Portland we have both
giant coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) that
occur naturally south of us and huge monkey puzzle
trees (Araucaria araucana) that are native to Chile.
Our native species are fewer in number but still
quite impressive, like the old growth Douglas
fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forests where
trees get over 200 feet tall—those forests are
one of the best things about living here.
Another pleasure of urban forestry in Portland
is that we have active and passionate tree advo-
cates in our city. A lot of people move here for
the trees! A regional nonprofit, Friends of Trees,
is involved with planting trees all over Portland,
and we also have a community planting tree
program through Parks and Recreation.
Our community members are amazing. In addition
to engaging in tree planting, Portlanders become
tree stewards, advocate for trees, and serve on the
Urban Forestry Commission, Heritage Tree Program
Subcommittee, and the Appeals Board. Volunteers
get involved in time-consuming and technical
activities on behalf of our shared urban forest.
Nik: A challenge here is that trees in the ROW
are owned by the City, but it's up to the adjacent
property owner to maintain or replant if the tree
is damaged. This arrangement is one reason why
we must have a robust outreach and education
program! In this sense, it's an opportunity for part-
nership but also for providing education around
the importance of urban trees, the value of the
services that they provide and a chance to address
concerns and misconceptions around safety.
Gina: A challenge and a pleasure is our tree
code, Title 11 Trees. Some people fought really
hard for the City to have the tree code, but other
people feel like it's too restrictive—there's a
fair amount of push and pull around Title 11.
Nik: Climate change and development are also chal-
lenges, though these are not unique to Portland. As
made explicit in the Environmental Justice-related
goals of our Urban Forest Master Plan, we work to
address inequities in our urban forest. Maps show
that lower income neighborhoods have lower overall
canopy. We recognize this unfortunate overlay
and are trying to ensure a more equal distribution
of trees throughout the city so all communities
will benefit from the valuable public health and
environmental services that trees provide. >>
30 CityTREES
We are working to ensure a more equal
distribution of trees throughout the city
so all communities will benefit from the
valuable public health and environmental
services that trees provide.
