This hits the intersection of “it’s easier to get buy-in for acquisition than maintenance” and climate change requiring more maintenance than before. That said, native plants in the Portland area have always had to be drought-tolerant. Babies need extra care tho.
The City of Portland used to have a contract with the Friends of Trees non-profit, which provided tree care as well as tree planting, but that contract was terminated several years ago.
In a joint statement, Commissioners Carmen Rubio and Mingus Mapps, who oversee Parks & Recreation and the Bureau of Environmental Services respectively, said the move was meant to streamline what had been a disjointed system.
The two bureaus “have been working together to strategically align disparate tree planting and tree care responsibilities across both bureaus. That fragmentation has led to inefficient and uncoordinated work,” the commissioners said.
“With support and direction from both of our offices, both bureaus have come to an understanding and scoping of work that we believe will not only be more effective, but will ultimately result in more trees, larger tree canopy, and increased greening of our city,” they said.
…in case we wanted someone to point fingers at.
The other notable difference is that the Friends of Trees program was opt-in. You want a tree, you contact them, they bring you a tree. The city program is actually opt-out, and only eligible in certain designated neighborhoods. So you miss a postcard in the mail and the next thing you know, you’ve got a crew in front of your house digging up your yard.
Why is this news worthy? Happens all the time. Even happans when there is regular watering. Seems that in a typical weather period in Portland it wouldn’t be necessary to manually water the trees, rain would be enough. Absolutely not news worthy unless you are trying to hate on Portland.
The really bizarre thing is that the contract covered the watering for the first year, and only then reverted to an ODOT responsibility. Which means that maintenance was definitely discussed at some point during the planning phase. Someone at ODOT really screwed up here.
Schafer says watering trees is outside the bureau’s scope: “We only trim trees for visibility and clear brush. We simply are not set up for nor have the skills for tree maintenance beyond that.”
Watering is too hard? Wtf?
… plant about 30 saplings in a grassy triangle in the East Portland neighborhood…
… at least 25 of the trees in the triangle appeared beyond salvation last week.
So almost a complete loss, beautiful.
PBOT’s failure to water its 30 trees in the traffic median is the second time this year that government officials have failed to protect tree canopy. An ongoing street-widening project along a 67-block stretch of Southeast Powell Boulevard means the state is currently chopping down 570 trees lining the road, WW reported in June.
I live out in the burbs but the loss of trees is why I haven’t pressed harder for my city to improve our road. We really needed sidewalks and bike lanes 20 years ago but our road has some of the last 100+year old Douglas firs in the city and I just know they will all come down with no thought because the “traffic manual” says that’s what’s required.
So instead everyone walks in the road which is absolutely unsafe and has led to one death already.
Typical Portland government dysfunction. It wouldn’t surprise if this isn’t some kind of grift. Like the contractors are buddies with someone at the city.
Add comment