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This is the way that I walk in the morning with a cup of coffee in my hand and each day I stop to look at the canopy at this place. It's beauty has inspired me to write a short Haiku about it and to also photograph, sketch and paint it. Here are so...

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Canopy Story

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Location: Hosford_abernethy Author: Mary W.

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This is the way that I walk in the morning with a cup of coffee in my hand and each day I stop to look at the canopy at this place. It's beauty has inspired me to write a short Haiku about it and to also photograph, sketch and paint it. Here are some of the results.

This deciduous street tree is one of the last to get its buds in the spring and the last to drop its leaves in the fall. There are yellow pods it drops in the late spring, making a festive, fuzzy mess for a couple of weeks. This tree is massive, an...

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Canopy Story

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Location: Richmond Author: Jane G.

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This deciduous street tree is one of the last to get its buds in the spring and the last to drop its leaves in the fall. There are yellow pods it drops in the late spring, making a festive, fuzzy mess for a couple of weeks. This tree is massive, and it's a beacon as soon as I turn down the street from way up at Hawthorne, as I can see it a quarter mile away and know I'm almost home. It has thrown up the sidewalk (which we've replaced and made smoother) and also thrown up the street (which hopefully the city will fix) which creates a stagnant, muddy pond at its base all winter long. I love this tree, yet it also scares me as large branches drop off in the windy months. Can you have a love/hate relationship with a tree?

This tree borders the southeast corner of our backyard. It provides an amazing backdrop for our outdoor space (without the maintenance). We like to believe that it was planted as part of Oregon's 50th birthday celebration but have no confirmation tha...

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Canopy Story

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Location: Rose_city_park Author: Lynn T.

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This tree borders the southeast corner of our backyard. It provides an amazing backdrop for our outdoor space (without the maintenance). We like to believe that it was planted as part of Oregon's 50th birthday celebration but have no confirmation that is true. It sits on the northwest corner of a double lot behind us. Directly east is an huge Japanese maple. The house was on the market last year with the extra lot offered for development. The trees are not protected so we feared the worst. According to our mail carrier, a developer considered buying the lot and decided the hassle of destroying 2 beautiful trees was not worth it. I have a pipe dream that the city/neighborhood could turn the site into a small park. The attached picture is from our back porch. The roofline to the left is a 1.5 story ADU, the utility wires also give some perspective on the height.

This tree was planted by our former neighbor, Kim. Kim was a wonderful, tiny Japanese American lady, everyone on the block knew her. She kept a yard full of beautiful roses and lilies. My time-line of her life is a bit rough, but she talked about her...

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Canopy Story

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Location: Mt_scott_arleta Author: Jess B.

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This tree was planted by our former neighbor, Kim. Kim was a wonderful, tiny Japanese American lady, everyone on the block knew her. She kept a yard full of beautiful roses and lilies. My time-line of her life is a bit rough, but she talked about her time in the internment camps and how her family lost their farm in Gresham, and she talked a lot about the jobs she held down despite her handicap from rickets, and buying her little house, I believe in the 70s. She told us more than once that whoever sold her the tree told her it would stay a dwarf and never get much larger than her. Today it's one of the most beautiful trees in the neighborhood and hosts many birds and squirrels. It also provides much needed shade to our house next door. Kim passed away several years ago but this tree stands strong and tall. I worry a lot about this tree, in our R2.5 neighborhood, it is almost inevitable a developer will one day buy this lot. Change is inevitable, but I believe this tree should be protected.

The tree pictured here is a very old, very tall oak, which shades my barn in the Eliot neighborhood. I call it Old Oak. It is right on the boundary of my property and my neighbors (i hope I picked the exact one from the map! I looked for the one not...

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Canopy Story

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Location: Eliot Author: Trudy A.

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The tree pictured here is a very old, very tall oak, which shades my barn in the Eliot neighborhood. I call it Old Oak. It is right on the boundary of my property and my neighbors (i hope I picked the exact one from the map! I looked for the one noted as the tallest).

Both sunrise and sunset show off its splendor, as you can see from the pictures. I have no idea why the low rays of the sun at dusk cause it to glow gold and orange, but it does, mostly in summer and early fall.

The pictures here show this magnificent tree AFTER two-thirds of it has fallen away! As you can see, it is still gorgeous, in spite of its loss of volume.

As you might have guessed, the shedding of one third of an oak tree is a major neighborhood event. About 15 years ago, we heard and felt an earthshaking impact. We discovered that 1/3rd of the tree, a major limb, had broken off at the crotch and was cantilevered 20 feet over the sloping backyard of a neighbor to the south. She had left a note on our door that said, "a twig has fallen into our back yard." To our surprise, the "twig" was an enormous major limb, a tree unto itself.

A few years ago, the 2nd 1/3rd of the tree feel off. This time, it took out a neighbor's shed, even though it was on the lot that was up two houses from mine, so tall was that limb. The neighbor said he had no hard feelings (likely, he had insurance!) and was happy his house was spared.

I have lived here 17 years. Most of those years, a raccoon family, with a new litter each spring and summer, would cavort in the branches in the early morning, somehow playing like kittens and never falling! These days, it is a major site of massively loud evening crow conventions and many continuously scampering squirrels.

We don't know how long our wise old oak will hang onto its last 1/3rd of itself. But in the meantime, we try to remember to look out the windows to see it glowing golden at dusk. Or, in good weather, to lean back in a recliner and admire its towering beauty, while sipping a favorite beverage.

But best of all, Old Oak is a major contributor to the life in the tree canopy of Portland, the gift of urban habitat for the many climbing and flying critters that grace the City with their visits and their choice of Old Oak as their home.

I love this tree. I can see it from my bedroom window. Whenever I feel uprooted, or out of sorts I just need to look at it for a while to find my breath. When I was giving birth to my daughter I felt the tree's presence out the window even though...

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Canopy Story

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Location: Concordia Author: Megan P.

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I love this tree. I can see it from my bedroom window. Whenever I feel uprooted, or out of sorts I just need to look at it for a while to find my breath.
When I was giving birth to my daughter I felt the tree's presence out the window even though I wasn't looking at it. The curtains were closed. Right after was born, and we were snug in bed, I saw our tree. My daughter has become a tree hugger. This particular tree isn't a climbing tree, but I am sure that if there were lower branches it would be a different story.
Once I heard what seemed to be an alien attacking a raccoon in the tree, but it was just mating squirrels.
We had a tree in the alley behind the house that was chopped down, and I felt a loss deeper than I can describe. Once I came home and saw some men with chainsaws and I panicked, but they were only taking away some branches before the wind came. I hug this tree on occasion, I talk to it. I don't take it for granted.

This is my favorite tree in this neighborhood. It's absolutely massive.

This Douglas fir tree lives right on the property line and is a happy tree. We see squirrels and Stellar Jays in the branches. This tree makes plenty of cones, which drop with a soft thud on the sidewalk. Fir needles rain down into the yard and we us...

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Canopy Story

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Location: Hazelwood Author: brandon R.

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This Douglas fir tree lives right on the property line and is a happy tree. We see squirrels and Stellar Jays in the branches. This tree makes plenty of cones, which drop with a soft thud on the sidewalk. Fir needles rain down into the yard and we use a electric powered blower to clean them up. This tree provides early morning shade for our yard. It's been there longer than us, and we hope it will be there long after we're gone. We're just passing through - but this is the only home this tree will ever know. We brought in some mulch to soften its root zone, and we got rid of the lawn that was there. We love this tree.

On March 11, 2018, Brian French and Ben Trapanese climbed this Douglas Fir tree (Heritage Tree 134) for a scene in the Canopy Stories Film Anthology produced by NW Documentary. Measuring at 248 Ft., it is still the tallest known tree in the city. The...

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Canopy Story

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Location: Forest_park_6b Author: David H.

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On March 11, 2018, Brian French and Ben Trapanese climbed this Douglas Fir tree (Heritage Tree 134) for a scene in the Canopy Stories Film Anthology produced by NW Documentary. Measuring at 248 Ft., it is still the tallest known tree in the city. They noted the top had broken out and they heard an owl calling below. To see the climb and other cool tree stories on the big screen check out the film at CanopyStoriesFilm.com

This row of giant sequoias lines the parking lot where I work. They provide a hugely important buffer against the I-5 traffic that flows non-stop. Every day that I walk by them I'm grateful to whoever planted them! And grateful that they keep on grow...

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Canopy Story

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Location: East_columbia Author: Angie D.

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This row of giant sequoias lines the parking lot where I work. They provide a hugely important buffer against the I-5 traffic that flows non-stop. Every day that I walk by them I'm grateful to whoever planted them! And grateful that they keep on growing, in spite of the terrible conditions they live in next to the freeway.

Squirrels love this tree! Nearly every morning year-round, they demonstrate their daring acrobatics along the branches. They chase each other. They drop their harvested walnuts. They curse people out who may be too close for their comfort, walking pa...

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Canopy Story

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Location: Southgate Author: Heather A.

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Squirrels love this tree! Nearly every morning year-round, they demonstrate their daring acrobatics along the branches. They chase each other. They drop their harvested walnuts. They curse people out who may be too close for their comfort, walking past. My dog really enjoys barking at them as she's got a front-row seat from the living room window. When fall storms come, large limbs and branches often fall, littering the yard and roof of the house below.

This sequoia was planted around 1956 by Dean Maberry. It was, I believe, part of a forest service program that sent out trees for 10 cents if requested.

My guess is that this dot represents the Sequoia that I planted the year my father died....1999. Our side lot is about 1/3 of an acre and has a (usually) year round stream and a good mix of cedar, fir and oak.

Sadly, this tree was killed on July 26, 2017. :( I've lived a few doors down since 1985, and the tall Douglas firs on this property have meant a lot to me over the years. I've seen squirrels sunning themselves on high branches, crows congregating at...

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Canopy Story

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Location: Southgate Author: Heather A.

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Sadly, this tree was killed on July 26, 2017. :( I've lived a few doors down since 1985, and the tall Douglas firs on this property have meant a lot to me over the years. I've seen squirrels sunning themselves on high branches, crows congregating at the end of the day, I've dodged fallen limbs after some of the Portland area's nastiest storms. This tree is missed.

This is a great tree, the biggest of the "grove" of about 10 doug firs in a couple of houses. This and the other provide wonderful shade to our backyard, according to canopy analytics it measures 118 feet tall and sits between two properties. When...

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Canopy Story

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Location: North_tabor Author: Kevin C.

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This is a great tree, the biggest of the "grove" of about 10 doug firs in a couple of houses. This and the other provide wonderful shade to our backyard, according to canopy analytics it measures 118 feet tall and sits between two properties. When the east winds blow I get nervous but after 10 years she has been solid and strong.

This Douglas fir is the tallest tree in Mt. Tabor Park (by around 9 feet)! It is protected from the strongest winds, standing near the upper portion of a draw that drops down to the west. In fact, it is the tallest tree in the city between Forest P...

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Canopy Story

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Location: Mt_tabor Author: Darvel L.

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This Douglas fir is the tallest tree in Mt. Tabor Park (by around 9 feet)! It is protected from the strongest winds, standing near the upper portion of a draw that drops down to the west. In fact, it is the tallest tree in the city between Forest Park (Balch Cr.) and Powell Butte Nature Park.

The tree is not the park's largest in volume, though, being only around 3.5 feet in diameter (at breast height).

We've since moved, but this large tree sits just behind our old yard and is part of the property of the LDS church on SE Harrison.

Doug Fir, 2nd growth but tall.

A delightful grove of nine Douglas-fir trees standing at the corner of S.E. 57th and Carlton street, reaching up to a majestic 113 feet tall according to Canopy Analytics. Living in the neighbourhood for 30 years, I remember often walking north 2 blo...

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Canopy Story

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Location: Woodstock Author: Micah E.

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A delightful grove of nine Douglas-fir trees standing at the corner of S.E. 57th and Carlton street, reaching up to a majestic 113 feet tall according to Canopy Analytics. Living in the neighbourhood for 30 years, I remember often walking north 2 blocks from my house on 57th past these tall trees, on my way to Super Torta to eat one of their 2-pound burritos, and taking mental note of these trees being the tallest in the surrounding area; at least as tall as the 100-ft Apostolic church steeple. Sadly, It has come to my attention that this house is planned to be demolished, and all the hundred foot tall firs on the property and adjacent under-story of deciduous trees are scheduled to be terminated by the developer, Renaissance Homes. There is a fine stand of about 300 to 400 Fir trees nearby, at the Apostolic Campgrounds some blocks south, but other than those big trees, the Brentwood-Darlington and Woodstock neighbourhoods are in the center of a heat island zone, as revealed in recent canopy research (Voelkel et al 2017). The protection of established, large, healthy growing trees should be a priority for the health and well being of the community, animal life forms, and environment. It really reduces down to a block by block level, whether we protect these big & tall trees, or not. - Micah E.

The tree is mighty The tree is so tall and strong The tree is a home