Beaumont-Wilshire: The Real Dirt
Our neighborhood is changing. With demolished houses and large new houses replacing them, we mourn the loss of trees and gardens. Why are trees so important? They are beautiful members of our community, homes to birds, insects, and small mammals. Even more, they provide an important positive environmental impact on our city that is rapidly growing in people and density. Inner eastside neighborhoods like Beaumont-Wilshire are lucky to have our established old trees. Those trees and gardens are a large part of the appeal and the health of our neighborhood. We should cherish and protect them.
Trees and gardens provide air-cooling. They help reduce our increasing urban heat island effect caused by buildings, pavement, cars, and air conditioners. Trees help control the heat by shading warming surfaces such as houses and streets. Trees and gardens absorb lots of water, very important as our permeable surfaces near new houses disappear. Despite the city’s Combined Sewer Overflow Program and bio-swales along streets we still have overflow rainwater and sewage spills into rivers and streams during big rain events. Also, trees release the absorbed water through evaporation, absorbing energy and cooling the air. Trees absorb CO² and release oxygen.
If you are considering planting trees, put deciduous trees where they will shade your house from midday and afternoon summer sun. The open tree structure in winter will allow the sun to warm your house. Carefully consider the mature size of your tree. The trend toward smaller yards means very large trees may no longer fit. Consider some of the smaller deciduous or coniferous trees, such as smaller pines, redbud (Cercis canadensis), or Japanese maples. Or, think about larger shrubs/small trees like witch hazel (Hamaemelis), crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia), or manzanita (Arctostaphylos). Remember, your young new trees will need watering during our dry summers for a couple of years.
We have invasive species trees, like the tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) and holly (Ilex aquafolium) in our neighborhoods. In fact, one upcoming house demolition in Beaumont-Wilshire may leave the Ailanthus in place and remove several large native Douglas Firs.
The city has a vigorous street tree-planting program that has the potential to increase our tree canopy as young, small trees grow. Be sure to consult the city website before planting street trees.
For more information:
- https://www.portlandoregon.gov/trees/59505
- OSU Extension Service, “Selecting, Planting and Caring for a New Tree”, iOS or android apps
- Book: Sean Hogan, Trees for All Seasons.