The Urban Forestry Commission recommends which trees, like this American elm planted in 1870, receive Heritage Tree designation from City Council. Commission members meet once a month and serve on at least one committee.

The UFC is an 11-member volunteer commission established by city code. The primary duties of the Commission include:

• Recommending city code amendments and Heritage Tree listings to City Council
• Reviewing and providing input on city plans and policies that affect the City’s trees
• Hearing and deciding tree permit appeals as a member of the City’s Urban Forestry Appeals Board
• Advising the City Forester, Director and Commissioner–in-Charge of the Portland Parks & Recreation Bureau
 
Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by City Council. They are asked to serve up to two 4-year terms. Commissioners attend the monthly UFC meeting on the third Thursday morning of each month at City Hall and serve on at least one UFC committee.

Anyone interested in serving on the UFC is encouraged to apply by completing and submitting an application form through the Community and Civic Life website.
 
For more information, please visit the Urban Forestry Commission website or contact Brian Landoe at: Brian.Landoe@portlandoregon.gov.

8/18/18 and 8/25/18, 4:30 pm - 10:00 pm: Community Outreach at the Jade International Night Market. Love to talk to people about trees? Urban Forestry is looking for volunteers to help table at the Jade International Night Market. This community event attracts visitors from around the city to enjoy international cuisine and family-friendly entertainment. Urban Forestry, the Bureau of Environmental Services, and Friends of Trees will be sharing information about how people can connect with Portland’s trees. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Dan Gleason at: Daniel.Gleason@portlandoregon.gov.

Volunteers measure the diameter of a birch tree at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. An aerial photo of Peninsula Park from 1958 shows the lindens along the southern edge of the park. Many of these trees are still here today.

The Park Tree Inventory is in high gear, keeping volunteers and staff busy in our parks counting trees. So far, 3,700 trees have been mapped, measured, and identified in 25 parks this summer.

In July, Urban Forestry began working with three interns to inventory trees in additional parks. Our interns are students in landscape design, arboriculture, and landscape architecture. Alongside Urban Forestry staff, interns are working on their tree identification skills and gaining practical urban forestry experience.

Fun Finds!

In Willamette Park, volunteers inventoried a black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) with a diameter of 78.9 inches and a height of 147 feet!

The tallest tree measured this summer is a 153 foot tall Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) in Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.

In Peninsula Park, volunteers inventoried silver lindens (Tilia tomentosa) that are 100 years old. These lindens were included on the original planting plan for the park and can be seen in historic aerial photos.
 
What’s left?

We have inventories going through September and still have some of Portland’s most iconic parks to go! Join us at a park near you!

Registration Now Open for Oregon Forest Pest Detector Certification: This one-day certification workshop, offered by the Oregon State University Extension College of Forestry, is geared for natural resource professionals—arborists, landscapers, ecologists, and volunteers that work with trees. Learn how to recognize harmful pests, how to prevent them, and what to do if you find them. This October workshop focuses on emerald ash borer and Asian longhorn beetle. For program information and to register click here.