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| URBAN FORESTRY |
April 2019, published twice a month
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Elm Pruning Moratorium in Effect April 15 Through October 15
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| A Dutch elm disease infected elm tree can show sudden wilting of the leaves on individual branches, such as in the first photo. The second photo shows an elm on Portland's North Park Blocks.
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| Dutch elm disease (DED) is a destructive plant pathogen caused by a parasitic fungus which affects elm trees. To protect Portland's elm trees from the spread of DED, pruning of any species or variety of elm trees is prohibited between April 15 and October 15 within Portland's city limits.
One of the ways DED is spread is by the elm bark beetle, which breeds, feeds, and overwinters in elm wood. The spores of the DED causing fungus stick to elm beetles and are transported to healthy elms when the beetles emerge to feed. Pruning cuts and open wounds in elms attract the insect, so the pruning moratorium is in place when the beetle is the most active.
Fortunately, we have been able to keep DED from completely wiping out Portland's elms by following a management plan which includes: - Monitoring - each summer, Urban Forestry monitors elms to look for visual signs of DED. Suspected trees are tested, an annual report with the season's findings is published.
- Removal - infected elms are to be quickly removed and the stumps ground up to reduce the spread of the fungus through root grafting (the second way DED is spread).
- Sanitation - after removal, wood should be disposed of by chipping, debarking, or burying at approved wood disposal facilities. Additionally, all tools used in the removal should be sanitized to remove spores of the fungus (human activity is the third way DED is spread).
- Inoculation - elms in city parks and Heritage street tree elms are inoculated via injection with a fungicide to protect against DED every three years. Some neighborhoods also organize inoculations for their street tree elms.
- Education - Urban Forestry provides resources for the public about DED, such as the signs and symptoms of infected trees, the importance of the pruning moratorium, and strategies to reduce the spread of this elm-killing disease.
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| Upcoming EventsOpportunities to learn and volunteer!
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Flowering Tree Photo Contest
April 9 - May 15, 2019
Spring is coming into full bloom across Portland! Around every corner you can see trees flowering and bringing colorful life back into our city. Urban Forestry is searching for the best photographs of flowering trees in your neighborhood or anywhere you see them!
Please observe the following contest rules: - The photo must be your own original photo
- The photo must be of a tree in the City of Portland
- Please provide the location with your submission (if you know it)
- Multiple submissions are allowed
- All rights to the photos are released to the City of Portland and may be published with or without photo credit
- Be respectful of private and public property, do not trespass to take your photo
- Submissions are due by May 15
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Local Tree Care Provider Workshop
Friday, May 17, 2019, 8:30 am - 11:30 amLocation: Mt. Scott Community Center, upstairs classroom, 5530 SE 72nd Ave. (map)
This workshop is for professionals in the arborist community to learn about or review Portland's tree code, Title 11 Trees.
There is no cost to attend, but registration is recommended to secure your seat and to receive workshop materials.
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| More Upcoming Events
4/27/19: New Year in the Park. Join us on Saturday, April 27, 2019 to help hand out tree seedlings to festival attendees of one of the largest and most important Southeast Asian cultural events celebrating the vibrant Southeast Asian communities in the greater Portland area. Sign up here! Ongoing: Hoyt Arboretum has lots of tree-related events coming up! See their Upcoming Events & Classes here.
Heritage Tree Photo Contest continues through December 1, 2019. Submit your photo here.
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Heritage Tree Nominations Due May 1!
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| Heritage Tree # 107, a European beech, was designated in 1996. Heritage Tree # 197, a single-needle pinyon pine, was designated in 1998. Both trees remain Heritage Trees today.
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| The path for a Portland tree to be designated as a Heritage Tree is a long one, usually taking about a year! But each tree starts out the same way, by being nominated! Here is a quick breakdown of the process: - May 1 of each year, nomination forms are due
- May-June, nominations are inspected by Urban Forestry staff
- June-July, the Heritage Tree Committee tours the nominated trees
- August-October, approved trees on private property must have signed permission forms
- November-January, approved nominations are presented to the Urban Forestry Commission
- February-March, the ordinance is prepared, nominations are presented to City Council
- April-May, Heritage Tree records are updated, new nominations begin the process
Whether you have been in Portland all your life, or are new to town, we encourage you to get involved by nominating a tree before the May 1, 2019 deadline!
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In Other News
Job Opportunity as a Development Services Technician II: For anyone interested in working as an Urban Forestry Tree Technician in the future, we encourage you to apply for the current posting with the Bureau of Development Services! Eligible candidates will be placed on a list which will be referred to for future Tree Tech jobs. The posting closes after 75 applications have been received, and the deadline to apply is April 22, 2019. View the job posting here.
Rose City Golf Course Panorama Receives Help from Neighbors: The northern boundary of the
Rose City Golf Course is one of 28 panoramas in Portland’s scenic views inventory. The short but steep bluff has over 70 mature trees and displays a spectacular view of the golf course. A year ago, a group of volunteers led by a Neighborhood Tree Steward began removing invasive blackberries, clematis, knotweed, and ivy, which had overgrown the bluff over time. Approximately 3 acres of blackberry thickets have been cleared, and most of the mature trees are currently cleared of vines. Volunteers expect the effort to continue indefinitely. For more information, or to volunteer, contact John Nikkel, jonnikl@gmail.com.
Help NASA Measure Trees with your Smartphone: NASA satellites and airborne missions study forests to see how carbon moves through ecosystems. Now, community members can help investigate this key question as well. The GLOBE Observer app provides a step-by-step guide for people to collect scientific data on their surroundings. With the new GLOBE Trees feature of the app, observers record tree height by tilting their phone up and down to align the screen with the tree's top branch and base, and pace off the distance to the tree; the app does the rest to calculate the tree's height. Learn more here.
Free Trainings for PP&R Volunteers Aimed at Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Our Communities: The Office of Community and Civic Life is now offering PP&R's volunteers the opportunity to join in a selection of free trainings aimed at encouraging conversations about equity, diversity, and inclusion in our communities, our work, and in the way we show up in the world! Check out some of the upcoming trainings and ways to be involved here.
Share Your Feedback on the 30-acre Development Site at NE 122nd and NE Shaver: On Thursday, April 18, the project team for the Parkrose-Argay Development Study will share ideas for an integrated development plan for the current urban farm. They will use community feedback on potential site layouts and future land uses to form a preferred concept for the property owners as they consider the future of the land. Learn more here.
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