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As Portland pledges to take its climate preparedness more seriously, one well-known nonprofit is waiting to hear if it will get funding for planting trees mostly in East Portland.
Since 2008, Friends of Trees has contracted with the city’s Bureau of Environmental Services to plant trees. Its most recent contract ends in December, and BES tells WW it’s taking bids this fall to find its next tree contractor.
Spokesperson Diane Dulken says BES cannot say yet whether the operating budget—normally $1.2 million per year for Friends of Trees—will change when the request-for-proposals process is completed. But she did mention that BES is looking to diversify its contractor base.
“As with all good government practice, when a contract ends, we open up the opportunity to the greater community,” says Dulken. “We expect Friends of Trees will be a responder. We specifically want to create business opportunities for organizations that are BIPOC-centered.”
Friends of Trees says the bigger issue isn’t whether it will get its contract renewed, but whether it will receive gap funding for planting season this year, which spans from September to April. Right now, the nonprofit’s in limbo and can’t plan for a planting season. The group says it hasn’t yet gotten word from BES, and its funding runs out this month.
If it misses an entire planting season, says executive director Yashar Vasef, “We’d be looking at a drastic decrease in tree planting and partnerships…having a gap in that work, it’s hard to pick right back up in the future.”
But BES tells WW there won’t be a gap in funding: “We are working on interim funding for planting season. There is no gap,” Dulken tells WW.
Dulken says she does not yet know the dollar amount of that funding.
The confusion matters because planting trees, especially in neighborhoods east of 82nd Avenue that lack a tree canopy, is one of the most effective ways to provide shade and cool the air as climate change warms the city. At least 71 people in Multnomah County died in the heat wave last month.
The Friends of Trees’ confusion is happening at the same time as a discussion between bureaus about who should be responsible for planting trees on public property versus private property. Classically, BES has focused its tree-planting efforts on public rights of way, areas between the street and the sidewalk.
But Dulken says Portland Parks & Recreation, and more specifically the Urban Forestry Division under the parks umbrella, is now shifting its focus to rights of way—and BES is increasingly setting its sights on private properties.
“This is an ongoing discussion. Right now, Urban Forestry is taking on the right of way, so the parking strips, where we’ve traditionally focused on with Friends of Trees. And we’re moving towards private properties with a focus on multifamily and industrial properties,” Dulken says.
That shift in responsibilities has added to the confusion: Friends of Trees has historically focused most of its work on public rights of way.
BES tells WW the funding will be there for its planting season. But Friends of Trees has not gotten the full green light yet from BES for its planting season budget, Vasef told WW on July 12.
Vasef added: “There seem to be many barriers within the system that have made decisions about continuing our contract such a long, arduous process. Truly, we are puzzled as to why it’s been so challenging for the city to make the decision to continue to fund community tree planting. The planet is literally on fire; planting trees, while engaging the community in this tangible way of addressing climate change, is a no-brainer.”