Neighborhood Trees

Our neighborhood was full of holes this morning.

Don’t worry, it was perfectly OK. An urban forester from the City of Beaverton had come around last night to ask if any of us wanted some free trees planted along the street in front of their property. We had said “Yes, please!”, and were promised two trees, to be planted today.

This little venture in urban reforestation is due to the efforts of Friends of Trees, a very worthwhile organization for anyone who believes that the presence of trees helps beautify cities, cools buildings, purifies water, and reduces stress. Friends of Trees plants neighborhood trees in Portland, Beaverton, Vancouver, and is in the process of extending their programs into Gresham.

If you are interested in having some street trees in your neighborhood, Friends of Trees schedules plantings between November and April. You can check their planting calendar to see when they might be planting in your neighborhood. If you’ve missed your chance this season, you can always make arrangements to get a tree next year.

In our case, instead of neighbors asking for trees and receiving them at a discounted price, our trees arrived courtesy of the City of Beaverton. The City’s Urban Forestry department had selected our neighborhood to receive trees, and so all we had to do was tell them how many we wanted. An urban forester then marked the best locations for trees along our sidewalk, and the holes appeared as if by magic. Even better, the city’s urban foresters had already selected a type of tree that would thrive in our climate, be attractive, and not grow too large.

Our neighborhood received a truckload of Pyramidal European Hornbeams, which sound like a species of dragon out of Harry Potter, but are actually well-shaped and hardy little trees, both drought-resistant and pest-tolerant.

Counting holes as I walked the dog this morning, it was gratifying to see how many of my neighbors were taking advantage of the City’s offer. Friends of Trees set up a base of operations this morning in a centrally-located driveway, and set up a table laden with VooDoo Doughnuts and coffee for the volunteers doing the planting. As I was standing there talking to the folks from FOT wearing their bright orange vests, a convoy of cars arrived bearing arborists from Collier Arbor Care, who not only teams up with Friends of Trees in their efforts to provide neighborhood trees, but also provides bodies to help with the grunt work on planting day. A City of Beaverton truck bearing a load of mulch verified the City’s involvement as well.

I’m profoundly happy that an organization like Friends of Trees exists, that the City of Beaverton believes so strongly in urban trees, and that so many good people are willing to give up their Saturday to help put them in the ground. When the new hornbeams are fully established, our neighborhood will look very different.

I can’t wait.

Questions about Friends of Trees? Visit friendsoftrees.org, contact Cain at 503-282-8846 ext 13, or email caina@friendsoftrees.org.