GIS skills needed to help save existing trees

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About Treekeepers of Washington County

Location:

10940 SW BARNES RD, BOX 285, PORTLAND, OR 97225, US

Mission Statement

Our mission is to engage with local communities and together advocate to protect our mature trees in urban unincorporated Washington County, Oregon.. -.. We conduct Tree Inventory and, with partnership with Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), we are supporting Urban Forestry Programs in Washington County - We speak up before decision makers such as the Washington County Board of Commissioners and others who have jurisdiction over our trees. We encourage others to testify with us to be voices for trees. Policy change will not come about without persuasion. -We research best practices for new developments that can preserve trees, and meet with developers to determine what might incentivize them to utilize these practices. - We educate the public regarding Tree Benefits and their importance in climate defense as well as general information for property owners regarding the maintenance of trees.

Description

In March of 2021, a group of neighbors formed a grassroots organization, Treekeepers of Washington County. Our goal is to protect existing trees through a Tree Policy in Washington County. We volunteer to expand the knowledge of local residents and decision-makers about how to best enjoy and protect trees. We have mapped areas of Environmental Inequity and are working on program to make recommendations on how to correct the issue of Tree Equity Scores below acceptable thresholds. We have initiated 3 major programs: Tree Inventory, Tree Stewardship and Trees-At-Risk documentation. We have posted a petition to Washington County to hire an urban forester and to establish an Urban Forestry Program along with policy to protect existing trees. We have a ground-truthing Tree Inventory of 1600+ trees which we are still compiling. We have published Tree Walk pamphlets to educate the public with information regarding the trees around them. We are always looking for new ways to preserve and promote the trees that provide us with so many benefits. Everyone is entitled to a healthy green environment. Together we will work toward that goal.