<![CDATA[Tillamook County Parks Foundation - Blog]]>Mon, 19 May 2025 22:32:44 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Oregon Community Trees conference 2025]]>Sun, 18 May 2025 16:09:26 GMThttps://www.tillamookcountyparksfoundation.org/blog/oregon-community-trees-conference-2025​Notes: Oregon Community Trees conference May 15, 2025, Eugene
                                    (Neal Lemery)
 
                  This one day conference was hosted by Oregon Community Trees, a non-profit that provides resources to governments and non profits on urban tree planting and urban forestry. https://www.oregoncommunitytrees.org
                  Kaaren Knutson, Mayor of Eugene.  Attention is the currency of leadership. We have a responsibility to not ignore injustice and exclusivity.  
                  Keynote: Christine Carmichael, Ph D. author of Racist Roots: How Racism Has Affected Trees and People in our Cities—And What We Can Do About It.  I bought this book and will give one copy to the Tillamook County Library. She shared data that shows systematic racism and economic disparity in neighborhoods, that matches tree planting statistics.  Urban tree planting is directly linked to extreme temperatures in summer due to climate change. Poor areas and area with high populations of minorities have fewer trees and higher temperatures. Tree equity.  There is a 12 degree temperature difference between poor areas and other areas in cities.  Her organization: Fairforest.com
 
                  We need to practice biodiversity.  There are studies and projects utilizing a wide range of trees suitable for urban areas and summer heat.  
                  In 2025, the Trump administration cut $2.6 Billion in federal funding for urban tree planting and maintenance. 
                  Arbor Foundation. Their book on “Heritage Narrative”. 
                  Doris Duke Foundation
                  The Garden of Healing is a group of parents of murdered children, which plants urban trees. 
                  Our Community Forestry. https://www.ourcommunityforestry.org. This non-profit was established in Talent, near Medford after the Almeda Fire several years ago, to replant trees and restore neighborhoods.  They design and implement tree planting projects and collaborate with other non profits and governments.  They have a comprehensive tree catalog and are identifying suitable trees that cope with climate change and challenging planting situations.  They have three pillars: teamwork, community, and networking with other green organizations.  Their program: Trees for All, is a statewide information network.  They have a monthly newsletter.  https://ourcf.org
                  Rogue Reconnaissance .  A private consulting firm using drones and lidar to map tree plantings and forests, gathering data and making planting and caretaking strategies. 
Oregon Dept. of Forestry. Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Program. 
Trees in the Curb Zone.  City of Portland’s efforts to plant trees.  City Code is that property owners maintain trees, but this program has the city maintaining trees.  City works with neighborhoods and property owners to design planting areas, select trees, and schedule maintenance.  City now has engineering plans for all aspects of the planting, which is available. https://portland.gov/transportation/planning/trees-curb-zone .
Other Ideas.
  • Trees as infrastructure
  • Urban settings in terms of tree canopies, dealing with climate change
  • Looking at new-to-us species. A diverse catalog of tree choices
  • Relationship with home owners, neighborhoods. Education, collaboration.
  • Educating kids, community groups.
Other Resources
                  Oregon Forest Resources Institute.  https://oregonforests.org/
Lots of free booklets and information. 
                  The Nature of Our Cities: Harnessing the Power of the Natural World to Survive a Changing Planet, Nadina Galle.  This newly published book was the talk of the conference and people were eagerly buying it.  I bought two copies and will give one to the county library.  The author is one of the national leaders in urban forestry. 
]]><![CDATA[Park bench grant received]]>Thu, 09 Jun 2022 02:55:01 GMThttps://www.tillamookcountyparksfoundation.org/blog/park-bench-grant-receivedThe Foundation has received a generous donation of $1000 from the Tillamook High School Key Club, part of Kiwanis International, to fund the installation of park benches throughout Tillamook County.  The bench plaques will offer phone numbers for the national suicide prevention hotline, and recognize the contributions of the Key Club.  The grants were awarded by vote of the Key Club members and allocate funds from the Oregon Community Foundation to support mental health and suicide prevention resources throughout Oregon. 
]]><![CDATA[The gift of trees]]>Mon, 09 May 2022 23:22:42 GMThttps://www.tillamookcountyparksfoundation.org/blog/the-gift-of-treesThe Foundation just gifted eight coastal redwood saplings to the Trask River Fish Hatchery and the Big Creek Fish Hatchery, near Astoria, part of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The trees will help landscape these vital salmon and trout hatcheries and be a remembrance for the old redwood tree at Trask that needed to be removed for their renovation. Thank you, #ODFW for being a community partner and for your vital work in enhancing Oregon's natural resources.
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]]><![CDATA[finding peace in the park]]>Tue, 30 May 2017 18:38:00 GMThttps://www.tillamookcountyparksfoundation.org/blog/finding-peace-in-the-park​ 
                                    Finding My Peace in the Park
 
By Neal Lemery
 
            It was a glorious day in June.  Yesterday’s rain had cleared the air, and the early morning sunshine beat hot down on the steamy vegetation.
            I’d never seen the park look any more beautiful.  Every color of green literally vibrated in the sunshine.   Birds flew and sang, and flowers burst from the meadows, and the thick coastal jungle of the forest.  Freshly mowed grass, wet moss, and the smell of the river delighted my senses.
            “What a treasure,” I said to my companions, as we paused at a picnic table by the river to sip our coffee, and simply be in the moment. 
            They only nodded, caught up in the silence of our humanness, letting nature fill the stage in front of our eyes.  Words just didn’t need to be spoken, as we took in the fullness of a June morning.
“There is a delight in the hardy life of the open. There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy and its charm. The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value. Conservation means development as much as it does protection.”
  • Theodore Roosevelt
    President of the United States
 
 
 
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