Let's GROW Together

In this article

If you live in one of the following neighborhoods, you may be eligible for free trees! It doesn't matter whether you have a sidewalk and planting strip or grass growing up to a gravel road. If you have room for a tree in your front yard, we will work with you to figure out what type of tree would be best for your space:

Argay, Centennial, Creston-Kenilworth, Cully, East Columbia, Foster Powell, Glenfair, Hayden Island, Hazelwood, Lents, Mill Park, Montavilla, Mt. Scott-Arleta, Parkrose, Parkrose Heights, Powellhurst-Gilbert, Russell, South Tabor, Sumner, Sunderland, and Wilkes

Participants can help choose the species of tree-and then relax; Urban Forestry does the rest. In the winter, we plant the trees and provide watering and tree care for the first three years, as the tree establishes. Would you like Urban Forestry to come evaluate your front yard for free trees? Visit portland.gov/GROW to sign up.

Why are we working in specific neighborhoods?

The temperature difference for neighborhoods with a robust canopy and those without can be as much as 25 degrees Fahrenheit on a hot summer day. Trees are especially effective at reducing these disparities. The shade they provide functions like air conditioners for outdoor spaces. Every large tree growing in our neighborhoods makes a tremendous - often unnoticed and life-saving difference in our quality of life. Without realizing it, around the clock, trees are:

• Providing shade, cooling us from extreme summer heat
• Slowing traffic, promoting walkability, and reducing car accidents
• Creating natural beauty, providing habitat for diverse birds and pollinators
• Supporting physical and mental health at all ages - reducing stress, asthma, and blood pressure
• Protecting the environment by cleaning the air and reducing stormwater runoff into rivers
• And so much more.

It's not too late to grow a climate-resilient future as our summers become hotter, drier, and longer. The heat dome of 2021 had devastating effects on the lives of people living in low-canopy neighborhoods. The simple act of planting trees in those spaces today will better prepare us for the challenges of tomorrow.

That's why Urban Forestry is distributing and planting 8,480 free trees this year, helping to grow a safer, healthier city for the next generation. There are opportunities for everyone! No matter where you live, Urban Forestry has free planting programs you can sign up for! Find your free trees here.