photo credit: Trevor Blake
The nonprofit group Friends of Trees is bringing its tree planting expertise back to the Brooklyn Neighborhood. Volunteers will be planting street trees in the neighborhood on November the 22nd. However, property owners must sign up by September 26th. There is very little cost for property owners, but the benefits of addiing trees are significant.
Although many of the residential parts of Brooklyn have a healthy tree canopy, most of our commecial and industrial districts are tree defcient. Many academic studies have been published in recent years showing that trees increase property values, decrease energy costs in the summer time due to an increase in shade, help to curb global climate change, and reduce the amount stormwater that runs into our sewers.
Please contact Friends of Trees for more information in having trees added to the parking strip outside your home or business. Information about the Brooklyn planting can be found at https://friendsoftrees.org/volunteer/plant-with-us.php. You can also contact Melissa, the Brooklyn neighbhorhood coordinator at 206-240-0725 or BrooklynNeighborhoodTrees@gmail.com.
Increasing and preserving the local tree canopy will continue to be a high priority for the Brooklyn Action Corps over the next few years. Current plans for the Milwaukie Light Rail project call for street trees to be added to full length of SE 17th Avenue bewtween Powell Boulevard and McLoughlin Boulevard. The BAC will be working with Trimet and the City of Portland to ensure that these plans make it into the final design plan.
Look for future announcements and posts outlining the ways that we can work together to make Brooklyn a cleaner and greener place to live and to work.
