(Portland, aka Tree City, USA) –Portland Parks & Recreation, stewards of nearly 1.5 million trees across the Rose City, is taking Arbor Day up a few notches in 2013; all the way up to Arbor Month. Celebrations of Arbor Day are being expanded to last throughout the month of April, including FREE bucket truck rides, guided walks, environmental education, a heritage tree scavenger hunt, tree plantings, history workshops and much more!
Celebrate urban forests all throughout the city and all during Arbor Month, April 2013! Discover Portland’s 300 Heritage Trees and and learn how Portland’s trees work 24/7: filtering our water, cleaning our air, cooling the city, providing wildlife habitat, enhancing livability, and increasing property resale value.
Go on a Tree-sure hunt!
- Visit any of Portland’s 300 Heritage Trees
- Take your photo with any heritage tree
- Tag it with #pdxtrees, share it with friends, and post it to: facebook.com/treestewards
- Receive your TREEsure at the Arbor Day Festival on April 20 at the Portland Farmers Market at PSU!
Other notable events:
Ride high above the ground in a PP&R bucket truck! Have you ever wanted to see the urban forest canopy through the eyes of a squirrel? Here’s your chance. Portland Parks & Recreation, Urban Forestry will be offering free bucket truck rides in Chapman Square, SW 4th and Madison for two hours on April 1. Join us during your lunch break, learn about Urban Forestry and see the world from a different perspective. Children (over 48 inches) and adults are welcome to ride with a signed waiver. Rides offered for a limited time on a first come basis.
Join in the showcase Arbor Day Festival on April 20, at Portland Farmers Market at Portland State University. The Bill Naito Community Tree Awards will be presented to deserving tree advocates at 10am, with a hands-on Tree-magination area and other kid and family activities from 8:30am-2pm. Portland will be recognized as a Tree City USA for the 36th consecutive year, and you can learn about how much trees are worth over the course of their long lives.
The complete Arbor Month calendar and more information are available here:
http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/61386
Arbor Month Events
- Apr 10 – Stories of Oregon’s History Told by Heritage Trees
- Apr 11 – Native Heritage, Native Trees – with Judy Bluehorse Skelton
- Apr 12 – Children’s Arboretum Workday
- Apr 13 – Heritage Trees of Northwest Portland
- Apr 14 – Willamette Bluff Heritage Tree Bike Ride
- Apr 16 – Laurelhurst Tree Walk with Phyllis Reynolds
- Apr 19 – Mapping Trees in Portland’s Pioneer Parks
- Apr 20 – Arbor Day Festival!
- Apr 21 – Heritage Trees of Sellwood
- Apr 22 – Gateway Green Tree Walk
- Apr 24 – Book Signing
- Apr 25 – Sitton School Planting
- Apr 25 – Trees Pay Us Back: Valuing the Benefits of Trees
- Apr 26 – Conifer Work Party at Hoyt Arboretum
- Apr 27 – Keys to Tree ID
- Apr 28 – Portland to Treephoria 30-mile Bike Ride
- Apr 29 – Tips & Tricks to Tree ID
- Apr 30 – Heritage Tree Dedication
Portland Parks & Recreation cares for 1.2 million trees in PP&R parks and natural areas, and oversees an additional 240,000 street trees across the city! The amount of Portland’s land covered by trees, known as the urban canopy, has increased by nearly 3% during the past nine years. The success is due to efforts undertaken by successful public-private partnerships including the Tree Stewardship Coalition, Portland Parks & Recreation, Friends of Trees and the Bureau of Environmental Services. Currently, 30% of Portland’s surface area is covered in urban forest, with a goal of 33% per the Urban Forest Management Plan, completed in 2004.
For more information, call 503-823-5300 or visit portlandparks.org.
