The Albina Neighborhood Tree Team, started in 2014, has just received the 2016 Bill Naito Community Trees Award from the Portland Urban Forestry Commission. The commission “recognizes groups and individuals for their stewardship, advocacy and commitment to trees in Portland.” ANTT has received this award for their “exemplary actions and achievements as a group” working in this endeavor.
The fledgling group’s activities have included:
- inventorying all the street trees in Eliot and Boise
- holding neighborhood street pruning events (proper pruning leads to healthier trees and a better canopy for all)
- tree plantings in public spaces (e.g. the Oregon Department of Transportation property along the west side of Mississippi Ave. south of Fremont St.)
- a street tree remove and replace ReLeaf Event, in association with Urban Forestry and Friends of Trees for our low income neighbors who have dying or dead street trees.
The group is presently pursuing funding to continue and expand this program in an effort to improve the chronically poor tree canopy in Albina which includes Eliot, Boise and Humboldt Neighborhoods.
New members are always welcome and the team can be reached at jerefit@gmail.com.
By Matt Morrissey
Eliot Neighborhood 