Plantings in 19 Vancouver Neighborhoods

Jan 14, 2008

Contact: Teri Ruch
503-282-8846 ext. 17

Friends of Trees has scheduled community plantings in 19 Vancouver neighborhoods this winter and spring. Each planting will be on a Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a community potluck lunch at the end of the planting. If you want to help plant trees, please arrive before 9 a.m. to register and be assigned to your team before the planting begins.

Jan. 19 planting in Cascade Highlands, Cascade South East, Mountainview, and Bennington: Meet at Mountain View High School, 1500 SE Blairmont Dr
Feb. 9 planting in North Garrison Heights, Vancouver Heights, Father Blanchet Park, and Marrion: Meet at Columbia Presbyterian Church, 805 S Columbia Ridge Dr
March 1 planting in Burnt Bridge Creek, Image, and North Image: Meet at Burnt Bridge Creek Elementary School, 14619A NE 49th St
March 15 planting in Central Park, Carter Park, West Hazel Dell, Lincoln, Rose Village, Arnada, Hough, and Shumway: Meet at First United Methodist Church, 401 E 33rd St

Costs of the trees vary by neighborhood, depending on the funds that Friends of Trees was able to secure to subsidize the actual $175 cost of the tree planting and follow-up monitoring. With funding provided by the City of Vancouver's Urban Forestry Program, a part of the Vancouver-Clark Parks & Recreation Department, Vancouver homeowners will pay no more than $50 per tree. With support provided by the Clark County Board of Commissioners, West Hazel Dell homeowners will also pay only $50 per tree. Donations to cover the remaining $125 cost per tree are welcome.

Nobel Laureate Al Gore often points out that planting trees slows climate change. In addition, according to a city of Portland study released in October, Portland's trees intercept 25 million pounds of air pollutants and half a billion gallons of stormwater a year, greatly reducing river pollution and saving the city millions of dollars in stormwater management costs.

Friends of Trees brings people in the Portland-Vancouver area together to plant and care for city trees and urban natural areas. Since 1989, the more than 340,000 trees and shrubs that Friends of Trees has planted in the Portland-metro area have provided increasing benefits as they grow, cleaning more of our water and air and slowing climate change more each year. Portland's increased tree cover, called "the Portland effect," led to national recognition for Friends of Trees and the city of Portland last year. To learn more, visit www.friendsoftrees.org.