Accept the 2020 Title 11 Trees Fund Report

REPORT TO COUNCIL DATE: May 19, 2021 TO: City Council FROM: Jenn Cairo, City Forester SUBJECT: Accept the 2020 Title 11 Trees Fund Report (Report) I am pleased to submit for your consideration the annual report on the two Urban Forestry funds established by Title 11, Trees. This report summarizes the revenue, expenditures, uses, and plans for the Urban Forestry Fund and the Tree Planting and Preservation Fund from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. In total, PP&R used the Tree Planting and Preservation Fund to plant more than 5,000 trees in parks, natural areas, and at schools across the city. PP&R’s tree planting activities are guided by the City’s tree planting strategy, Growing a More Equitable Forest, which was completed in 2018 and accepted by City Council in 2019. The strategy prioritizes new tree planting in low-canopy areas of the city with a particular focus on historically undeserved communities. PP&R used the Urban Forestry Fund to complete an inventory of trees in developed parks. Bureau staff, with the support of 1,800 community volunteers contributing thousands of hours, completed the project in late 2019 after collecting data on more than 25,000 park trees. This report was shared with the Urban Forestry Commission and is posted on Portland Parks & Recreation’s (PP&R) Urban Forestry website. We are excited to have these resources with which to improve and expand the city’s tree canopy, and we look forward to reporting progress in the future. Sincerely, Jenn Cairo City Forester