By Madeleine Voth
As winter settles into SE Portland, new trees are beginning to appear in planting strips, front yards and neighborhood green spaces, the result of this fall’s free-tree initiatives by both Friends of Trees, a local nonprofit, and Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry (PP&R), the City’s urban forestry division. Although both efforts share similar goals, they operate on separate programs. Friends of Trees offers planting through community-based outreach, and residents can sign up for trees via their website. Meanwhile, PP&R runs its own “Yard Tree Giveaway,” under which Portland residents can receive up to three free yard trees per address on private property, with free delivery and optional planting assistance.
The investment behind both programs’ work is substantial. $1.8 million has been given towards a partnership between PP&R and Friends of Trees to expand community planting, volunteer training and community tree care, helping to support up to 750 trees over the next two seasons, primarily in heat-vulnerable neighborhoods. For trees planted in the public right-of-way (street planting strips or planting strips between sidewalk and street), Friends of Trees will provide establishment care such as watering, monitoring and replacement when needed. Yard trees, on the other hand, are planted on private property and rely on the long-term stewardship of the households that receive them, though Friends of Trees offers a summer monitoring program to check tree health and leave care advice if problems arise.
The programs launched neighborhood planting events in November and continue through December, bringing neighbors together for community-driven greening efforts. PP&R and Friends of Trees emphasize that the initiatives are not just about planting trees, but about building “lasting community stewardship” through volunteer training and long-term engagement.
This is especially relevant with the City’s newly updated Urban Forest Plan, released in late October, which is a long-term roadmap for expanding and better distributing the urban tree canopy. For many Portlanders, the rollout of this plan and the arrival of free trees from PP&R and Friends of Trees feel tightly linked. The plan raises canopy goals, expands planting in heat-vulnerable areas, and outlines ways to reduce the cost of tree care for homeowners, emphasized in both organizations’ mission statements.
“A program like these not only benefit neighborhoods ecologically, but allows communities to come together and take climate action in the city into their own hands,” said Kenna McCauley, a Woodstock resident and Sustainability and Environmental Justice Scholar at Reed College. “Building and fostering communities committed to sustainable practices is the kind of grassroots mobilization that the city should continue to support. Programs like these make Portland what it is.”
Shaped by extensive public engagement including a Community Advisory Committee, surveys, open houses, focus groups with historically underserved communities and a public comment period, the plan directs the City to use data and strong community partnerships, such as its renewed relationship with Friends of Trees, to ensure equitable canopy growth across Portland. Planting events across SE Portland neighborhoods have brought volunteers and residents together for weekend gatherings, offering hands-on planting and a chance to connect.
“Friends of Trees’ free-tree program allows more people in Portland to get involved in a small yet meaningful way,” said Anie Kotha, a Sellwood resident with a background in environmental sustainability and plant biology. “I really appreciate that this program makes the planting process easier and teaches folks about long-term tree care which can benefit the whole community in such a big way.”
Though Friends of Trees’ community planting program is distinct from the City’s yard-tree giveaway, both contribute to the broader goal of expanding Portland’s canopy. Since 1989, Friends of Trees has planted over one million trees and native shrubs across western Oregon and SW Washington. Their volunteer-powered model strengthens habitat shade and neighborhood connections, values aligned with the City’s long-term planning. “These programs give neighbors the confidence and support they need to make their homes and communities healthier, more beautiful and more resilient,” Kotha added. “Especially in times like these, it is nice to be able to feel more connected to nature and to feel like I’m giving back and working on my own little part of the community.”
The fall planting efforts represent only the beginning of Portland’s long-term canopy goals. PP&R has an ambitious target of planting 10,000 trees per year by 2028, with SE neighborhoods expected to remain central to those efforts. Residents can still volunteer at upcoming planting events, support neighbors caring for newly planted trees, or sign up for free trees of their own through these programs.
For now, as communities come together to expand the ecosystems of their neighborhoods, SE Portland is beginning to take root in a greener, more sustainable future, one free tree at a time.
To get involved through Friends of Trees, visit friendsoftrees.org/volunteer/how-to-volunteer, or to receive your own tree, go to friendsoftrees.org/get-a-tree.
For more information on PP&R’s free yard trees, visit portland.gov/trees/tree-planting/find-your-free-trees/trees-your-yard.
Portland trees are for all ages. Photo by PP&R.
