Furthermore: Where the Headlines Take You

City Trees

Twice last week, encounters with the trees of other cities caused me to stop and reflect on the beautiful canopy of urban trees here in Portland. First, I flew across the country with a layover in Minneapolis-St. Paul. As the airplane came in for landing over the cities, I was struck by the lush tree cover gracing nearly every street – from the air, I thought to myself, it looks as though the twin cities may have as many trees per acre as Portland! Then last Thursday, I heard story about a recent effort to map every tree in New York’s Central Park – every tree, all 20,000 of them.  In my opinion, city dwellers (whether they live in superdense giant cities like New York or smaller garden-filled cities like we have in Oregon) need just this kind of tool to nudge them towards noticing and enjoying trees   So today I'm going to tell you about my two favorite Portland- and Oregon-related tree books:

The first is Phyllis C. Reynolds and Elizabeth F. Dimon's amazing Trees of Greater Portland. These two amateur naturalists identified hundreds of different species of trees growing in Portland parks, yards, gardens, and along Portland streets. Their book is a kind of encyclopedia, with trees arranged by scientific name (don't fret, though, if you aren't familiar with all the Latin – there's an index by common name in the back!). Facts and figures about each tree are detailed, together with photographs of the tree as it is found in Portland, with their locations noted. This book is completely fantastic for anyone who is learning to identify tree species, and since tree locations are included, it's also a great way to get to know a neighborhood and its trees.

My other favorite local tree book is Stephen F. Arno and Ramona P. Hammerly's Northwest Trees. This is more of a traditional field guide, focusing on native tree species of the Pacific Northewest. Chapters on each major species of tree are beautifully illustrated with line drawings showing the tree in its native environment, details of leaves, seedpods, cones, and branching patterns. Occasionally, illustrations of animals or plants that typically live in or near the tree are included as well. The book also includes information about trees' growth habit and life cycles, tree ecosystems, tree history and lore, and other miscellaneous facts and figures. It's a very practical book, but so beautifully presented that it's engaging to browse casually as well.

And, if you're feeling jealous of New Yorkers and their fabulous new map, you should know that Portland’s Urban Forestry department has tree walk maps for nearly twenty other parks and neighborhoods (including one, I can’t help but point out, for the neighborhood around the Sellwood-Moreland Library!). So, go for a walk in the city, look at and identify some trees, and enjoy yourself!