Summers in the Portland area are very dry. While the dry weather is often blissful for the waterlogged human residents who endured the past eight months of rainfall, our trees can suffer drought stress. Drought stress occurs when limited access to water interferes with the tree’s normal growth processes. Drought stress can limit root growth, limit tree growth due to... Read More
For The Love Of Trees volunteers teamed up with Friends of Trees to care for recently planted native trees and shrubs at the City of Wilsonville’s Tranquil Park on a recent Saturday morning. Dozens of volunteers of all ages showed up to help out at the park. The large group was broken into several work crews. After the crew leaders... Read More
Located just minutes from downtown Portland near Reed College, the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden is a riot of color in the spring. The botanical garden has over nine acres of spectacular specimens of rhododendron and azalea planted alongside Crystal Springs Lake, which is fed by the property’s natural springs. The meandering paths that take you across bridges and alongside waterfalls... Read More
Spring in the Portland area is accented with explosions of color on flowering trees and shrubs such as the flowering cherry, flowering plum, magnolia, and camellia. These tell-tale signs of spring are not only beautiful, they function as the crucial reproductive system of the flowering plants (angiosperms). In angiosperm reproduction, pollen is produced by the male organ and is transferred... Read More
Oregon celebrates the beauty and benefits of trees for the first full week of April every year. Our local communities show their tree appreciation through activities geared for the whole family. A select few are listed below. How will you celebrate the trees in your community? Beaverton will host an Arbor Day tree planting on April 6th. Lake Oswego celebrates... Read More
When recommending a tree to plant, we go by the guideline, “Right tree, right place”. Many tree species are well suited to the right setting, but there are a few trees that we don’t recommend anywhere. Some of these trees are listed on the Nuisance Tree Lists of several local municipalities. The English Holly, seen above, is considered invasive and... Read More
Bare root deciduous trees, like the apple tree shown above, become available from nurseries in late winter. These trees are sold with their roots bare, or not in soil. Although planting in winter weather may be daunting, planting bare root trees now will allow root establishment before the growing season. The fact that you are planting the bare root tree... Read More
The snow-covered peak of Mount Hood dominates the eastern skyline of Portland in the winter. From a distance, it looks as though there is a sharp line above which trees do not grow. The elevation above which trees do not grow is called the tree line and is at about 6,000 feet on Mount Hood, or about the elevation of... Read More
Our Portland area is known for its lush urban forest. We gratefully live amongst trees here. Trees and shrubs grow above and around our houses and workplaces. We walk in their shade along sidewalks and on turf. We drive cars and ride bikes under their canopy on the roadways. Caring for urban trees often requires clearance pruning, which removes growth... Read More
Autumn in the Pacific Northwest is heralded by the bright leaf color change in prominent deciduous tree species. Many Portland area residents are surprised to learn that many evergreen trees also exhibit seasonal change in their foliage at this time of year. Deciduous and evergreen trees have foliage that converts sunlight into energy. Deciduous trees lose all of their leaves... Read More
