City of Portland
Below is a list of resources from the City of Portland. From the street tree inventory map to the full city code, these links should help you to answer any code-related tree questions you might have, or to find your favorite neighborhood Heritage Tree:
Tree Inventory Map - Portland Parks & Rec’s Urban Forestry department has inventoried over 252,000 trees and has published a live interactive map of their findings. This is an incredibly useful tool for me as an arborist, and can also help you to ID that one tree on your block that you’ve never seen anywhere else. Fun fact from the map: Acer platanoides (Norway Maple) is the most common street tree species in Portland, making up 7% of the total.
Heritage Trees - Portland’s Heritage Trees are “those that are regarded as being of ‘special importance to the city’ because of ‘their age, size, type, historical association, or horticultural value.’” This Link will help you to find some of the most majestic trees in the city as well as info on how to nominate a heritage tree, the regulations around pruning heritage trees, etc. Be sure to check out From Stumptown to Tree Town, a remarkable look at Portland’s history through the lens of a selction of its west side Heritage Trees. This short book would make an excellent self-guided walking tour on a summer Saturday.
Free Yard Trees - Exactly what you think! The City of Portland gives away thousands of free yard trees every year. All you have to do is ask! Get in touch with us if you need help deciding whether their available species are right for your space.
Street Tree Info - Portland’s Street Trees are owned by the city, but are adjacent property owners’ responsibility to manage and maintain . . . and there are rules and permits involved. To make matters a little more complicated, the rules and burden of responsibility will be shifting over the next 5 years as the City of Portland takes on more of the financial and actual burden of managing the trees. This page should answer a lot of your street tree questions. Personally, I find the approved street tree planting lists particularly useful. As always, get in touch with us here at Tonewood if you need help managing your street trees.
City Code Title 11: Trees - Love to read the fine print? Here’s the city tree code in its entirety