been inventoried in the City, and 93% were rated as
being in good or fair condition. "These trees thrive
in our urban forest, and as large-form evergreens,
they provide us with enormous public health and
environmental benefits. A mature giant sequoia in
Portland can store over 6 tons of carbon and scrub
pounds of pollutants from the air annually."
The City of Eugene, Oregon is celebrating the early ful-
fillment of their goal of planting 2021 giant sequoias by
2021. According to SMA President and City of Eugene
Urban Forestry Management Analyst Scott Altenhoff,
giant sequoias grow extremely quickly but, unlike so
many other fast-growing tree species that tend to
be high-maintenance, giant sequoias tend to be very
low-maintenance if planted in the right locations.
"They are extremely resistant to drought, high winds,
snow/ice, and pests/pathogens," Altenhoff says. "In
most cases, they just don't require structural or
maintenance pruning. When it comes to providing
ecosystem services, giant sequoias are veritable work-
horses. They are true champions when it comes to
cleaning the air, providing shade, intercepting rainfall,
sequestering carbon, attenuating noise, and instilling
people with a sense of beauty and grandeur. It would be
hard to find a species of urban tree here in the Pacific
Northwest with greater net benefits for humans."
Through the "2021 by 2021" initiative, City of Eugene
planted giant sequoia in shared public areas such as
parks and street medians, as well as on the grounds
of schools, local businesses, and homes. Eugene origi-
nally conceived the effort to commemorate the City's
hosting of the 2021 World Athletics Championships,
which have now been rescheduled for 2022.
Giant sequoia cones and seeds by Tara Costanzo Foliage of giant sequoia by Tom DeGomez,
University of Arizona, Bugwood.org
urban-forestry.com 33 urban-forestry.com 33
