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Portland Urban Forest Fact Sheet

UntitledCity Statistics

Population+ 583,776
Land area by acres* 85,964
Park acreage* 13,864

 

 

 

+Based on the 2010 U.S. Census
*Courtesy of The Trust for Public Land

 

Portland Urban Forest Facts*

  • The city has approximately 1.4 million trees, representing more than 170 different species.
  • The most common tree species are broadleaf deciduous trees, which account for 85
  • percent of street trees and 77 percent of park trees.
  • Approximately 50 percent of the city’s trees are less than six inches in diameter, and less than 10 percent of the city’s trees are greater than 30 inches in diameter.
  • The city’s street and park trees cost around $6.5 million per year to maintain, but provide nearly $27 million in benefits, which is a $3.80 return on every dollar invested.
  • Portland’s urban forest:
    • Provides more than $38 million in environmental benefits.
    • Removes approximately two million pounds of pollutants and 53 million pounds of carbon from the air, valued at more than $3 million.
    • Stores about 1.5 billion tons of carbon.
  • Portland’s street and park trees:
    • Intercept about 0.5 billion tons of water annually, saving an estimated $11 million in stormwater processing.
    • Save approximately $750,000 in energy costs.
    • Adds more than $13 million, cumulatively, in property resale value.
    • Have a structural value of $5 billion.
  • Portland’s urban tree canopy is 29.9 percent.+

* As reported in “Portland’s Urban Forest Canopy Assessment and Public Tree Evaluation,” prepared in 2007 by Portland Parks & Recreation
+ As reported to American Forests in its survey of the 50 most populous U.S. cities.

Top 10 Criteria

Urban Forest Management Plan Yes, first completed in 2004 and updated every 10 years
Urban Canopy Goal Yes, mandated by the city government and tied to several of its comprehensive plans
Quality of Urban Forest Compared to Others in Region Normal, which means some biotic damage and invasive species, some anthropogenic disturbance and some chemical and runoff issues
Tree Inventory Yes, covering public land
Tree Species Diversity Plan Yes
Tree Ordinances Yes, for both public and private lands covering hazard and historic trees
Comprehensive Greening Plans Yes, including a Sustainability Plan, Climate Change Plan and Green Infrastructure Plan
Types of Greening Initiatives Protection of open spaces; natural resource restoration; urban forests as part of planning for runoff, erosion and/or flooding; green jobs training; active involvement of environmental stewardship groups
Park Acres per 1,000 People 23.75
Percentage of Land as Park 16.13
Quality of Civic Engagement Good, with citywide stewardship and neighborhood interactions
Tree City USA* Yes
Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement Signatory Yes

*Designation awarded by The Arbor Day Foundation to cities that have a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

Critical Issues