Walking around your neighborhood, do you see spaces to plant a tree, street trees in need of maintenance, and neighbors who are concerned about their trees but don't know where to begin? Through the Tree Inventory Project, Urban Forestry has helped Portlanders take action to improve their community's urban forest, one neighborhood at a time. 

The Tree Inventory Project began with a pilot neighborhood street tree inventory in 2010. The project has since grown by leaps and bounds, with neighborhoods across the city partnering with Urban Forestry to inventory each one of Portland's 218,000 street trees and to create action-oriented neighborhood tree management plans. Starting in 2017, the project moved on to Portland's nearly 200 developed parks. In 2019, volunteers and Urban Forestry staff finished this inventory of an additional 25,000 park trees! To find out what trees are in your park or on your block, see our Tree Inventory Map. For a full report on Portland's street trees and much more visit our Data, Reports, and Maps page.

Active neighborhood groups interested in trees begin by gathering volunteers to help conduct an inventory. Volunteers are guided by Urban Forestry staff, who provide training, tools, and event organization. Together, information is collected on tree species, size, health, and location. Data are analyzed by Urban Forestry staff, and findings presented to neighborhood stakeholders at an annual Tree Summit in the fall. At the Summit, neighborhood groups work to develop tree plans: setting achievable strategies to improve the health of existing trees, expand tree canopy, and connect the neighborhood with city and nonprofit resources. The resulting Neighborhood Tree Plan uses inventory findings on the current status and health of neighborhood trees to provide recommendations for specific neighborhood actions for improving the urban forest. In the past, neighborhood groups have organized young tree structural pruning workshops, secured funding to remove and replace dead or dying trees, and planted street trees in areas where inventory findings suggest they are most needed.

More than just producing data and a tree plan, the Tree Inventory Project brings communities together. Participating in the tree inventory project is a great way to meet your neighbors and connect with others who value the trees that make Portland so great!