Friends of Trees plantings in Southeast were postponed by weather -- but are now done

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As a result of the February winter storm that cancelled their planting, Friends of Trees (FoT) volunteers gathered for the makeup planting in Inner Southeast Portland – their last of the season, on March 30.

In the parking lot of Kern Park Christian Church on S.E. Holgate Boulevard, trees were staged to be planted. Inside the church, some two dozen volunteers ate breakfast and drank coffee while receiving instructions from Friends of Trees Neighborhood Trees Specialist Ian Bonham.

"The mission of Friends of Trees is to inspire stewardship of the urban forest through providing volunteer opportunities, education around planting trees, and tree care," Bonham told THE BEE after the orientation.

"We're planning about fifty trees today," Bonham said. "Many of the 160 trees we'd planned to plant in February are 'street trees' [in parking strip areas]; so, today, we're planting trees in the yards of people who requested them."

When volunteer crews arrived at the locations, they found freshly dug holes – for the placement of the new trees – and got to work.

For more information about Friends of Trees, including how to get a tree for your own yard or streetside, go online – www.friendsoftrees.org