Urban and Community Forestry Program
Urban and community forests are the ecosystems in and around cities and towns. They are characterized by the interactions between trees, people, and the many other living and non‑living elements—including soil, water, wildlife, and built infrastructure.
Urban and community forests provide a wide‑range of benefits. These benefits include providing shade and cooling, filtering water and air, improving physical and mental health outcomes, and creating habitat for wildlife. They also create welcoming spaces where people gather, recreate, and spend time outdoors.
Healthy and resilient urban and community forests do not happen by chance—they are the result of intentional planning, active management, and sustained community investment.
Our Mission: Promote the well-being and resilience of all communities by working with local, regional, Tribal, and national partners to plan, care for, and sustain trees and forests.
Our Vision: People and landscapes thriving together.
Our Core Values:
-
Integrity: Acting with honesty, fairness, and respect, even when it is difficult.
-
Competence: Demonstrating expertise, professionalism, and evidence-based knowledge.
-
Whole Systems Thinking: Honoring relationships, complexity, balance, and mutual dependence.
-
Service Leadership: Sharing time, information, and resources to empower others.
-
Adaptability: Being flexible — open to change, uncertainty, and continuous improvement.
The Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) Program provides a comprehensive menu of technical, educational, financial, and coordination services to support local, region, and Tribal entities throughout the state. Read the
UCF Program menu of services.
Contact the UCF Program to connect with staff and explore how we can support your community!
Latest news
Save the date for the 2027 Oregon Urban Forestry Conference - Oregon Community Trees has set the date and location for next year’s Oregon Urban Forestry Conference. The one-day conference will take place on Friday, June 11, 2027, at the Riverhouse Lodge in Bend. This marks the first time in years that the conference has come to central Oregon. The conference’s theme is Readiness, Resilience and Recovery. Speakers and panelists are being recruited and will be announced later this year. If interested in being a speaker or doing a poster presentation at the conference, or in being a conference sponsor, please email conference chair Avery McChristian at
conference@oregoncommunitytrees.org.
The Urban Forest Institute recently published
Growing Gold, a set of urban forestry educational materials and recommendations based on the best available science and the experience of urban forestry professionals. Read the
Growing Gold Handbook.
Emerald ash borer pops up in more new places, including first detections in Beaverton, Salem and Rockcreek. Read the news release.
Funding opportunities
The Urban and Community Forestry All-Entities Subaward Program is now closed. ODF UCF awarded $12.5 million in funding to 28 multifaceted projects and programs across Oregon. These subawards will provide statewide investments in jobs, education, and infrastructure across numerous urban, rural, and suburban communities. Visit the
ODF UCF Subaward Programs webpage for more information.
The UCF Program is also collaborating with the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) on the Community Green Infrastructure Grant, established through
House Bill 3409. To learn more about the
Community Green Infrastructure Grant visit the program's website.
Emerald ash borer
Emerald ash borer's arrival in Oregon is bringing changes to our streams and urban forests. As of fall 2026, the invasive pest was confirmed in five counties - Clackamas, Marion, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill.
Read more about the emerald ash borer's arrival and the state's response. The Oregon Dept. of Agriculture has also placed a wood quarantine on ash, olive, and American white fringetree materials covering all five counties where emerald ash borer (EAB) has been found. The quarantine is an attempt to slow the spread of this insect to the rest of the state. To reach the emerald ash borer specialists, email
invasivepests@odf.oregon.gov. Check out
OregonEAB.com for more resources, information on how to identify EAB, and an up-to-date map of EAB's spread in Oregon.
Resources
Our hearts are heavy from thinking of those who lost loved ones, homes, and dreams in the recent fires across the state. We know that, for many of you, your city's trees may be the last thing on your mind right now. Yet trees embody hope. Whether or not your town was devastated by fire or smoke, view a list of community forestry and wildfire-related resources that may be useful in the future, if not now.
A list of public places around Oregon where a variety of trees are grown for study and display. Please note the below lists capture most of the arboretums in Oregon.
An assortment of publications on tree and urban forestry related topics. Scroll down to “Publications about Forest Benefits & Health."
Website
Urban & Community Forestry Job Board List
Note: The job board links are provided for informational purposes only
and do not constitute a recommendation or endorsement of any organization. If
you have comments, concerns, or additional urban and community forestry job
resources to share, please contact the UCF Program (UCF.Program@odf.oregon.gov).
Appreciating city trees
In Oregon, we set aside the month of April to honor trees.
View information about Oregon Arbor Month or contact your local Urban and Community Assistance Forester. In addition, discover ways to celebrate Oregon Arbor month.
Arbor Day is America's national tree holiday. It's a day other states set aside to plant ceremonial trees, educate children about the importance of trees and honor the important role trees play in our daily lives. National Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April, but Oregon observes tree related activates all month to fit best tree planting times statewide.
For more information on Arbor Day or to plan a celebration, visit the Arbor Day Foundation.
A Tree Board, sometimes called “Tree Advisory Committee” or “Tree Commission,” is a group of citizen volunteers charged by ordinance with developing, guiding, or administering a community tree management program. A Tree Board advises and assists city professionals by:
-
Raising public awareness and public education about the value of trees
-
Serving as a technical advisor on tree related issue
-
Helping work on city tree care codes or a management plan
-
Advocating for trees
-
Promote Heritage Tree programs
-
Organizing tree planning projects and Arbor Day ceremonies
Cities with Tree City USA status already have a Tree Board of some sort.
If your city is not already a Tree City USA, consider starting a Tree Board in your town by contacting your mayor or city manager. Also consider attending "Tree Board University," a free, online series of courses to help you learn more about serving in a citizen advisory role in your city.
Late spring in Oregon with its long hours of daylight and warmer weather is a great time of the year to share your love of trees with your community. Although the people who care for urban trees are busy watering, pruning, and performing other day-to-day maintenance tasks, with trees leafed out and some still in flower, the weeks before summer are great times of the year even during our pandemic to celebrate and educate others about the many benefits trees provide.
Adding a few fun education and outreach activities into your summer work plan helps raise awareness of trees and your program at a time when a lot of residents have more time on their hands because of COVID-19. You can reach an even larger audience by joining forces with other programs and non-profits in your area.
Here are some good examples that residents of your community can engage in from home or alone at a safe physical distance from others:
Tree tours – Self-guided or online
- Solicit suggestions from community members to locate favorite trees in your town, then:
- Create an online tour to showcase trees by taking photos and posting descriptions.
- Create and print a brochure with a map for a self-guided city tree tour. Partner with a food delivery service to include one with deliveries in neighborhoods near the tour route.
Tree stories
- Collect stories about historic or prominent community trees and partner with the local newspaper to publish a “tree of the month" article.
- Research the history of a prominent local tree and consider nominating them as a heritage tree for your city or even with the state-level Heritage Tree program.
Team up with your community's parks or recreation department
- Offer an online tree identification webinar.
- Host a Zoom meeting about tree art – discuss how people can go find twigs, leaves, and branches in their yards or nearby (without damaging trees) and create interesting collages or other artwork.
Partner with local or regional arborists
- Hold online workshops explaining tree care or maintenance, proper pruning or tree watering, etc.
- Hold a photo contest that highlights park trees in your community. The contest winner might receive a tree, planted on their behalf in their favorite park next spring. (Hint: Tree City USA Arbor Day grants can pay for trees planted for Arbor Day events.)
- Work with a local bookstore to hold a “poe-tree" contest; display selected poems in large type in the store window or in City Hall. (Hint: Haiku poems are short and easy to fit on a single sheet.)
This list may help stir up some ideas about how you can involve your community in the joy and benefits provided by trees, while raising the visibility of your city's urban forestry program and the importance of caring for the community forest.
Celebrate Oregon Arbor Month
Will your city be submitting a 2021 Tree City USA application?
Due to the pandemic, the Arbor Day Foundation has modified Standard 4 requirements of an Arbor Day proclamation and observance. Cities applying for Tree City USA status in 2021 are REQUIRED to proclaim Arbor Day, and ENCOURAGED (NOT required) to observe Arbor Day while safely socially distancing.
Learn more about the Tree City USA - The Arbor Day Foundation.