Shade Equity

Created by 350PDX Forest Defense Team
and members of the Shade Equity Coalition

Context

The increasing frequency and severity of heatwaves attributed to human-caused climate change underscores the need to rapidly retrofit Portland neighborhoods for a resilient future. After the deadly 2021 heat dome, tree, pedestrian, and public health advocates came together to educate policymakers about an important component of climate resilience: the urban forest. Many Portland neighborhoods lack street trees, adequate pedestrian infrastructure, and other forms of public investment — often in historically redlined neighborhoods and low-income areas subject to redevelopment. These neighborhoods are reaching dangerously high temperatures and street trees can help — significantly! It’s time for Portland to maintain and protect street trees as the critical public health infrastructure they are, cooling local “heat islands” by removing pavement to make space for trees, slow vehicular traffic, and make active transportation not only possible, but desirable and safer. The importance of Portland’s urban forest canopy extends well beyond street trees and trees in public parks and natural areas. More than half of our canopy shades privately owned land. Studies show Portland’s tree canopy has been declining in recent years and less than half of our neighborhoods meet the minimum 25% canopy goal. Action is needed to protect, increase, and achieve an equitable distribution of tree canopy across our city.

As part of the 2025–2026 budget process, the City Council voted to move Urban Forestry’s permitting and regulatory team out of Parks and Urban Forestry and into the Permitting and Development Bureau (2025 budget amendments, p 57, Zimmerman 03). The latter’s mission is to streamline construction permit reviews. Through the Code Alignment Project, which aims to further expedite building permits, the City has already implemented tree code exemptions to certain situations until 2029. Due to decreased building, the Permitting and Development Bureau’s revenue has slowed and it has been reducing staff. Shifting Urban Forestry’s code enforcement staff to this bureau has already greatly reduced the tree code enforcement staff’s effectiveness and ability to carry out the City’s duties to enforce Title 11, the tree code. Staff reductions have resulted in tree removal permit wait time increases from two to six or more weeks.

Currently, there is a large allocation of tree-related funding through PCEF’s Climate Investment Plan (CIP) – Strategic Programs 8 and 34. It is essential to keep the tree planting, establishment, care and protection programs intact so Portland can grow protective tree canopy as rapidly as possible before it becomes more expensive due to hotter and drier conditions. PCEF funds must not be diverted to  City services unrelated to PCEF’s original intentions.

Actions

    1. Ensure all new City plans and codes adopted in conjunction with state initiatives and bond measures include funding and optimal space for the healthy growth of additional large-form trees in both City rights-of-way and privately owned land. Space for large trees must be created where late annexation (e.g., in east Portland) and poor planning failed to make adequate space for large-form trees, resulting in a reduced canopy of small and medium trees. 
      • Support and expand innovative design initiatives, such as curb bump-outs and pocket parks, especially near multi-family and low-income housing and in or near business districts. 
      • The City tree code overhaul must include a mix of incentives and requirements, supporting site designs that preserve and sustain space for large-form trees.
    2. Establish a “Trees in the Curb Zone” program as a proven retrofit solution for neighborhoods with narrow or no planting strips. The Trees in the Curb Zone Pilot Project demonstrated how curb bump-outs, especially in dense or neglected areas, might make room for large-form trees in already-built environments. 
      • Urban Forestry and PBOT are actively seeking funding to make this a multi-year program, with the goal of expanding it to more neighborhoods. 
  • Include curb zone retrofits in upcoming citywide redevelopment and infrastructure projects.
  1. Title 11: Expand the tree code to apply to all industrial areas and smaller lots in Portland. 
    • Advocate for expansion of the Large Tree Amendment (LTA) in Title 11 protections to cover smaller lots. One Tree Code Amendment proposal would reduce the tree preservation threshold from 36 inches to 20 inches diameter at breast height (DBH) on private property, applying across all zones during development.
    • Protections of trees on industrial landscapes is particularly important because these Portland landscapes are adjacent to or intertwined with residential areas, so these natural areas tend to suffer from extreme urban heat island effects, reduced air quality, and polluted runoff.
  2. Safeguard and implement the street tree planting and maintenance program effectively and equitably. 
    • Continue to ensure that historically redlined and underserved neighborhoods are first priority. 
    • Continue to ensure that the Equitable Tree Canopy Program, which focuses on planting and providing tree establishment and maintenance in priority neighborhoods, is funded and implemented well and upholds PCEF values of being committed to a community-engaged process, growing new minority-owned businesses and workforce training for underrepresented groups in the tree care industry. As of April 2026, the Equitable Tree Canopy Program has planted approximately 4,700 trees in priority neighborhoods, showing significant early progress. This is ramping up to 10K per year by 2029.
  3. Secure long-term funding for heat island retrofit programs: Trees in the Curb Zone, and street tree-related sidewalk repair, and street tree maintenance. 
    • Ensure that PCEF or another secure source continues to fund public street tree maintenance in perpetuity (just as other infrastructure is funded in perpetuity) after the initial PCEF funding ends.
  4. Create a comprehensive heat mitigation strategy. To protect vulnerable communities from extreme heat, Portland must create a Citywide Heat Mitigation Strategy. While expanding the urban forest canopy is an important long term solution, trees alone cannot meet the immediate public health needs during heat emergencies. This strategy should:
    • Map urban heat islands and prioritize investment in the most affected neighborhoods.
    • Plant trees in addition to implementing non-tree shade options like cool roofs, permeable or reflecting pavement, and increased access to cooling centers.
    • Incorporate public health measures like improved heat emergency response plans.
    • Add cooling targets into building codes, street designs, and land use planning by taking inspiration from other cities’ best practices.

Important Stakeholders

Organizations that have participated in the Shade Equity Coalition on going or periodically since 2022:

  • 350PDX
  • Bird Alliance of Oregon
  • Thrive EastPDX
  • Trees for Life ORegon
  • Oregon Walks
  • Portland Fruit Tree Project
  • Columbia Slough Watershed Council
  • Extinction Rebellion PDX
  • Friends of Trees
  • Depave
  • We Keep Trees Standing
  • Willamette Riverkeeper
  • Gresham Tree Committee
  • Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
  • Oregon Sierra Club
  • The Street Trust
  • Connecting Canopies: Blueprint Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, The Intertwine Alliance
  • Verde

Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF): Conveners of the Equitable Tree Canopy Working Group. Funding $140 million of street tree maintenance for 5 years, beginning in 2025 (this timeline may be extended).

Early Sources

Shandas, Vivek. “Green Infrastructure and Urban Heat Islands with Dr. Vivek Shandas.” Families for Climate channel. YouTube. November 2021. 

  • Dr. Vivek Shandas specializes in studying the impact of climate change on cities. He discusses urban heat islands and ways city policy can change to mitigate them in this webinar.

Hoffman, Jeremy S., Vivek Shandas, and Nicholas Pendleton. “The Effects of Historical Housing Policies on Resident Exposure to Intra-Urban Heat: A Study of 108 US Urban Areas.” Climate 8, no. 1 (2020): 12. DOI: 10.3390/cli8010012.

  • This paper, which correlates historic redlining with exposure to heat, forms the basis of Dr. Shandas’ webinar (above).

Citations

Ramsey, Jeff and Angie DiSalvo. “Tree Canopy and Potential in Portland, Oregon.” Portland Parks & Recreation. February 2018.

  • Portland Park & Recreation’s 2018 study of available planting space found room for 1.3 million trees in the city, which would provide nearly $200 million annually in services such as cleaner air and water, summer cooling, and other benefits.
  • Then over the next six years, the city planted or gave away between 1,382–12,000 trees a year, for a total of about 52,380 trees. To put this in perspective, 52,380 trees represent only about 4% of the 1.3 million potential new trees that could be planted. 
  • Based on information compiled from their tree planting reports, below:

“Portland Urban Forest Plan.” City of Portland. October 2025.

The 2025 Urban Forest Plan outlines strategies for creating a more equitable urban canopy, including goals around tree planting and maintenance. While the plan sets important long-term priorities, clear timelines for implementation and public progress updates have not yet been made widely available, and the plan lacks specificity regarding a source of funding.

Endorsed by:

Endorsed full Climate Justice Platform:

District 3

District 4

Name

Candidates: Endorse all or parts of 350PDX Climate Justice Platform 2026