An Intertwine Feature | August 2014
Three urban forestry conversations rooted in The Intertwine
By Ramona DeNies, Twine Wire
Paperbark maple. Bald cypress. Sourwood. Sweetgum. Flowering ash. That street tree you just passed has a name. A story. Maybe feelings. And definitely a productive place in society.
“Trees in the forest do a job. Trees in the city do an even greater job,” says Scott Fogarty, Executive Director of Portland-based nonprofit Friends of Trees.
“We’re talking heat island effect mitigation, human health, nutrition, roadway safety, absorption of dangerous particulates. Trees are the quintessential multitasker,” Fogarty adds.
Here in The Intertwine, many of us pride ourselves on tree love. We plant. We glean. We salvage. We hug -- in record numbers. But before we get smug, consider this: according to National Geographic, we’re less leafy than cities like Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., and Austin.
As of 2012, The Intertwine’s total tree cover—urban and rural, developed, agricultural, and natural—stands at 49 percent, according to The Intertwine Alliance’s Biodiversity Guide.
But that canopy rate falls to 31 percent when assessing strictly urban areas like Hillsboro, Portland, Forest Grove, and Ridgefield. For comparison, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2010 Forests on the Edge Report found that average tree cover in urban areas across the conterminous United States surpasses 35 percent.
Data-gathering on urban forestry — which the USDA defines as “all publicly and privately owned trees within an urban area, including individual trees along streets and in backyards, as well as stands of remnant forest”— is hardly consistent across the nation. Such practices aren’t even standardized here in The Intertwine. But one thing is for sure, at least locally: we’re talking a lot more about our urban forest than ever before.
According to a regional urban forestry assessment prepared by Portland State University and Audubon, 25 of 30 Intertwine jurisdictions surveyed in 2010 had urban tree ordinances, and many of those with existing urban forestry programs were looking to expand activities. Since then, cities like Portland and Vancouver have set ambitious canopy goals. And cities like Tigard have gone on to win national awards for innovative tree planning.
So what does all this tree talk tell us? Are Intertwine residents uniting behind a sense of ecological urgency? Growing more aware of the economic and health benefits of higher canopy rates? Are trees where the diverse communities of The Intertwine find common ground?
To find out, we take a quick look at how three Intertwine communities are approaching urban forestry today.
Clackamas: an opportunity to branch out
In early August, the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to place a North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District measure on the November ballot. The new district, if passed, would be funded with a tax rate still lower than other Intertwine parks districts, and — among other priorities — devote resources to enhancing habitat protection along area rivers and streams.
Gail Shaloum, an Environmental Policy Specialist with Clackamas County Water Environment Services, says trees are a big part of her work to enhance water quality in Clackamas County's rivers and streams.
“Thermal pollution is definitely an issue here. It’s a big reason we plant trees along our river beds,” Shaloum says.
According to the PSU/Audubon report, Clackamas County has “extensive and detailed comprehensive plan language relating to urban forests and trees”: language that includes an urban forest inventory, adopting tree conservation standards in design review, grading and subdivision ordinances that minimize tree removal, and developing a county-wide urban street tree planting and maintenance program.
Yet despite this planning language, the report concludes that the County has implemented few if any of these urban forestry practices, due in part to funding constraints.
“We like to say that urban forestry is where you live,” Shaloum says. “One way we enhance livability while improving water quality in the districts we serve here in Clackamas County is by planting lots of trees when we can."
Tigard: urban forestry innovator
“Trees are really popular in Tigard,” says Brian Wegener, Advocacy Manager at Tualatin Riverkeepers. “The city’s challenge was to take public love of trees and develop a strategy that meets everyone’s needs.”
With an expanding urban growth boundary, Wegener says development is on the rise in Washington County, particularly in hotspots like South Hillsboro and Cooper Mountain, North Bethany, and River Terrace.
To grow smart while maintaining canopy cover, the City recently took a look at how well its urban forestry program encouraged developers and homeowners not just to plant trees, but also protect existing groves.
“An unintended consequence of the old code was that it was punitive,” Wegener says. “I know one property owner who was looking at half a million in tree mitigation. So he clearcut.”
Enter Tigard’s new code, which this past spring won a National Planning Excellence Award from the American Planning Association.
According to Wegener, Tigard’s win stems from three things: a revamped, incentive-based tree policy; an ambitious 40 percent tree canopy goal; and a city process that managed to forge consensus among highly diverse stakeholders, including developers, homeowners, urban planners, and activists.
National acclaim for Tigard puts a spotlight on one strategy for promoting smart, tree-friendly development. But the diverse communities of The Intertwine approach urban forestry in many ways — and some, for many decades.
Vancouver: a community with strong roots
The City of Vancouver, an Intertwine urban forestry pioneer, first established a tree ordinance in 1963, following a severe Columbus Day storm that leveled many of the city’s oldest trees.
“Urban forestry is relatively new on the West Coast,” says Charles Ray, Urban Forestry Coordinator for the City of Vancouver. “It took an event like the storm to push things forward.”
Ray calls trees “our hardest-working citizens,” and proudly notes that despite the storm, Vancouver is still home to the Pacific Northwest’s oldest apple tree, dating back to the days of the Hudson Bay Company.
But with a small staff of three responsible for making good on a canopy goal of 28 percent by 2030 (the City currently has approximately 19 percent cover), Ray says he and his team make extensive use of volunteers and community groups like the Vancouver Watershed Alliance and Friends of Trees. As one of the fastest-growing cities in Washington State, Ray says Vancouver clearly evidences what he calls the “Friends of Trees effect” — a swell in canopy cover in neighborhoods where the nonprofit has rallied residents for plantings.
“I sell urban forestry as a legacy for future generations,” Ray says. “These are living objects that react to their surroundings. It only takes a minute to improperly prune or destroy a tree, but a lifetime to grow one.”
Talking about Tree Coalition, USA
![](/sites/theintertwine.org/files/resize/slide_imgs/vancouver_arbor_day_2014_-_tree_city_usa-400x267.jpg "Vancouver's "Tree City USA" designation was announced at Arbor Day 2014")
For decades, the Arbor Day Foundation has conferred “Tree City USA” status on thousands of communities across the nation. To become a Tree City USA, cities must have a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.
Currently, 16 Intertwine municipalities have formally met the Arbor Day Foundation’s standards. But what if all 30 jurisdictions in the PSU/Audubon report became Tree Cities USA? What benefits could we reap — for every resident of The Intertwine — in terms of climate change mitigation, economics, and ecological and human health?
“Throughout history, humans and trees have been intertwined,” says Fogarty. “They are our houses, our musical instruments, and much of our symbology. The connection is spiritual, physical, theoretical, personal.”
Fogarty says that the lowest canopy areas where he and his team work often correspond with low income, marginalized communities. But when leaders, residents, and advocacy groups rally to enhance their urban forest, Fogarty says great things happen.
“Trees aren’t the total answer to urban problems, but they are an effective, low-cost approach to many," Fogarty says. "Once you invest in them, people meet, and communities grow.”
From increasing canopy cover to establishing incentive-based tree ordinances, cities across The Intertwine have room to grow their urban forestry programs.
So as our Alliance partners gather this fall to share best practices, network, and celebrate our successes, we’d like to seed another conversation. What if the Intertwine could establish a new national standard for region-wide urban forestry cooperation? What if every Intertwine jurisdiction became a Tree City USA (call it, maybe, a “Tree Coalition USA”)?
One thing's for sure; with 125 tree-loving partners, there's no better place for great tree talk to take root than right here in The Intertwine.