When the rain becomes more consistent and the soil starts to give beneath your boot, it is officially tree planting season for the Pacific Northwest.
Friends of Trees, a local nonprofit that has planted 375,000 trees and native shrubs in the past two decades, offers 8- to 12-foot tall nursery trees, delivered, for only $25-49.
To order trees, homeowners in the Lents and Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhoods need to create an online account at "Order Street & Yard Trees" at www.FriendsofTrees.org by Nov. 16. The deadlines allow time for the permitting process required before a street tree can be planted.
Friends of Trees plants by the book, working with the City of Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services and Urban Forestry departments to ensure trees are planted safely and legally.
This year Friends of Trees will plant twice the number of street and yard trees as last year to help Portland meet its five-year Grey to Green Initiative goal of adding 83,000 trees to city streets in five years.
The Grey to Green partnership makes it possible for Friends of Trees to offer 8- to 12-foot tall nursery trees to East Portland residents for only $25 to $40, depending on the neighborhood.
The fee includes the wholesale price of the tree, delivery, assistance in planting, stakes, mulch and follow-up maintenance checks. An added benefit is the neighborhood potluck that follows the community planting.
Staff and community planters congregate prior to a Northeast Portland planting for directions, coffee and donut, Feb. 14, 2009.
For information about your neighborhood planting, contact Neighborhood Trees Manager, Whitney Dorer, at 503-282-8846 ext. 21 or WhitneyD@FriendsofTrees.org.
With the largest and most ambitious planting season in history, Friends of Trees is also seeking volunteers that enjoy getting their hands dirty, and think reducing runoff and increasing air quality are important community achievements.
For more information about volunteering, contact: Greg Tudor at 503-282-8846 ext. 12 or GregT@FriendsofTrees.org; or Andy Meeks at 503-282-8846 ext. 24 or AndyM@FriendsofTrees.org.
images: Friends of Trees
