Portland could soon grow even leafier — assuming federal funding to plant more trees doesn’t get axed.
In April, the city officially renewed its partnership with Friends of Trees. Together, the nonprofit and Portland Parks & Recreation’s Urban Forestry division intend to plant 750 trees by next spring.
Friends of Trees has contributed significantly to the local urban canopy. The organization recently celebrated the planting of its millionth tree, shading and cooling a city that continues to heat up because of development and climate change.
Neighborhoods with few trees have higher temperatures than shady places, increasing the danger of health issues for those living there, according to studies led by Vivek Shandas, a geography professor at Portland State University. These unprotected heat islands pose risks of dehydration, especially for elderly and homeless people.
While this particular project is funded through the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund, Friends of Trees gets the majority of its funding from federal grants. That money is now in limbo, due to the government shutdown.
“Federal staff who process reimbursements are furloughed, leaving nonprofits waiting weeks or months for funding they have already earned,” the National Council of Nonprofits wrote in a press release in September. Federal funding is precarious for many organizations due to cuts over the past year, which are now worsened by the government shutdown.
Yashar Vasef, Friends of Trees executive director, said the shutdown creates uncertainty for the future.
“The federal grant supports sustaining operations at Friends of Trees,” Vasef said. “Not only in Portland but also for most of the programs in Eugene-Springfield.”
In 2023, Friends of Trees received a grant from the federal government for a coalition of 11 nonprofits, BRANCH, focused on community building and forestry. The awarded $12 million for the BRANCH coalition, with $3.4 million of that designated specifically for Friends of Trees. The money funds Friends of Trees’ administration of the coalition, as well as five years of the organization’s own education, workforce development and community tree planting events, Vasef said.
The federal grant is the single largest funding source for Friends of Trees, according to Vasef.
And that main funding source is reimbursement-based, which requires Friends of Trees to use cash dedicated to other projects to cover expenses in advance, which can create a cash flow crunch. The nonprofit invoices the federal government and is reimbursed after paying for the work and materials it needs. Operating the BRANCH project is expensive, Vasef said, creating ongoing tension in balancing funding.
The new funding from PCEF provides $1.8 million for three years of tree planting and care. The city of Portland has paid Friends of Trees each month since the start of the contract, according to Urban Forestry.
“Our last submitted invoice is still pending,” Armstrong said. “Our understanding is that the backlog could delay payment until at least November.”
“We are super excited for the funding from PCEF and partnership with Urban Forestry to plant in Portland, but the $3.4 million federal grant is very impactful and not something any other contract funding can replace if it halts,” Vasef said. “We are only one year into that federal grant with four years of funding left so only a small portion has been spent so far.”
Other nonprofit groups that participate in the coalition are also affected by delays in funding. Some develop leadership and engagement with natural areas. Several, such as the Columbia Slough Watershed Council, educate young people about ecology.
“Of course, our coalition partners are similarly impacted,” Vasef said.
While the government may be shut down, Friends of Trees is not.
“We can’t just stop or pause the programming,” Vasef said. “Other partners are involved, sites are secured, volunteers are recruited, trees and plants have to get planted. But if we can’t get reimbursed in a timely way, that makes it concerning from a cash-flow perspective and makes everything tighter.”
Vasef estimated that 70% of the organization’s funding is on a reimbursement basis.
“We are covering the cost of trees, materials and other community tree planting expenses up front for each event,” Vasef said. “Right now, at the start of our season, the federal shutdown makes reimbursement timing unknown.”
Establishing the urban forest
A key focus of the partnership with Urban Forestry is keeping trees alive. Friends of Trees will make this happen by training hundreds of volunteers and community groups to plant and care for trees. Urban Forestry brings expertise with follow-up care and tree survival.
Street and yard trees at homes, businesses and places of worship will get three years of establishment care, which means plenty of watering and at least 60 visits per tree, as well as some structural pruning. Care will also include mulching and removing weeds. If a tree doesn’t survive its first three years, Friends of Trees and the city will take care of removal and help with replacing the tree.
Both Friends of Trees and Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry have lists of trees on their websites. Information is provided on what type of tree fits a yard or a median strip, recommending the right tree in the right place.
“What’s important to know is what goes into the 750 trees,” Jenn Cairo, Portland Parks & Recreation city forester and urban forestry manager, said. “It’s not enough to just put trees in the ground, especially with our climate crisis as summers are hotter and drier. They need to be established.”
Urban Forestry has been working with this model for over a decade. With the newly funded partnership, the organization can do more.
“Our survival rates for our programs running for a few years are really good because of establishing for at least three years,” Cairo said. “About 95% of trees that get planted live past establishment, and we keep monitoring. We’re in our fifth year of monitoring and they’re still doing great.”
In addition to working with Friends of Trees, Urban Forestry is expanding its citywide tree planting efforts by partnering with 12 tree planting contractors and 13 community-based organizations through Portland’s Equitable Tree Canopy program. These efforts are supported by PCEF.
Lisa Tadewaldt is a board-certified master arborist and owner of Urban Forest Professionals.
“It’s like magic, the way they get everyone invested in trees and the process,” Tadewaldt said. “Everyone has respect for trees after being involved with planting as a volunteer. People care about the tree that gets planted.”
Onward
Hopefully, Vasef said, all funding the organization has already secured will come through as planned. And working with the city will help Friends of Trees expand the ways it benefits the community, he added.
“We have already been partnering on smaller contracts but can reengage with our model in a bigger way, especially with urban forestry,” Vasef said. “We can complement each other’s work and deliver to neighborhoods that really need trees right now.”
Likewise, the Urban Forestry division will benefit from the collaboration.
“With $1.8 million from PCEF, we’re contracting with Friends of Trees to plant a lot of trees, especially in low-income and low-canopy parts of the city,” Cairo said. “We consider those priorities to focus city resources in a much better and more equitable canopy over time.”
Vasef said Friends of Trees plans to strategize as the organization learns from experts in the city. And the partnership allows Friends of Trees to share the benefits of its tree planting model and army of volunteers. In these ways and more, Vasef said, the partnering with the city is a win-win.
“Portland’s trees are essential to the health, beauty and resilience of our city,” Mayor Keith Wilson said. “As we face the impacts of climate change and growth, it’s more important than ever to protect and expand our urban canopy — especially in communities that have historically been underserved.”
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This article appears in October 22, 2025.