FIGHTING FOR SHADE EQUITY IN PORTLAND
Portland neighborhoods that have been historically redlined or annexed in the 1980s continue to face deep systematic injustices due to a history of poor design and under-investment. These neighborhoods lack street trees, adequate infrastructure, and other forms of support, leading to the hottest average temperatures in the city. Increasing tree canopy is a key strategy for cooling these “localized heat islands,” and also improves health outcomes, climate resilience, and community livability. After the deadly 2021 heat dome, advocates discovered that there was no long-term cooling plan for Portland, and studied the many barriers to planting and maintaining street trees in Portland – a key one being policies that require private individuals to bear the costs of maintaining City-owned infrastructure. This left lower income residents going without shade, and the City was not seeking a solution. That changed thanks to 350PDX and coalition partners.
Our campaign:
The Forest Defense Team is in the middle of a campaign to shift the cost and legal responsibility of maintaining Portland’s street trees and tree-related sidewalk repair from residents to the City of Portland. That way, everyone, no matter where they live, will have access to cooling shade and life-saving street trees throughout the city.
We’re Making Progress!
We kicked off the Shade Equity Coalition campaign in early 2022 with a letter to Council. Later that year the Coalition’s campaign intersected with a burst of public support for racial justice and Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) revenue that exceeded expectations. In late 2022, the City dedicated one of the first 5-year Climate Investment Plan allocations: $40M toward planting and establishing street trees where they are needed the most (Strategic Program 8). The Equitable Tree Canopy Project was born with an advisory work group to ensure that the program is grounded in PCEF’s climate justice goals. Today, Portland residents can find free street trees through an array of programs.
But, we were still concerned about street tree deferred maintenance. Since 1944, public officials had been calling for the City to manage street trees. So we continued our campaign, and in 2024 PCEF created the 5-year, $100M Strategic Program 34 to pilot street tree care and protection. Right now the City is completing the pilot phase, and in fall 2026 will begin systematically pruning street tree infrastructure for the first time in Portland history. This is definitely worth celebrating, but our work is not over.
In 2025, 350PDX and coalition partners worked intensively with bureau staff and City Council members to include action steps that address all known tree canopy barriers into the revised Urban Forest Plan. We also strengthened actions to ensure that strategies included timelines to make progress on the top shade equity barriers. See Goals and Actions
- Street tree care (Action 2-3)
- Street tree-related sidewalk repair (Action 2-4)
- Creating space for trees (Action 3-2)
In 2025 & 2026 we fought to defend tree protection budgets and shade equity investments through the dual storms of budget cuts and structural changes in the new form of government.
Next steps
While progress has begun, it’s important to keep on track. See Opinion: Five years after the heat dome, Oregon’s work isn’t done, Dr. Vivek Shandas, The Oregonian 6/29/26
- Through 2027. The Tree Code, Title 11, is undergoing updates. We welcome your support to help align code with priorities described in the Urban Forest Plan
- Through 2028. Support the completion of the barrier studies listed in the Urban Forest Plan.
- Through 2029. Identify permanent funding strategies for 1)street tree maintenance, 2)tree-related sidewalk repair, and 3)Trees in the Curb Zone.
Resources
Multnomah County Heat Vulnerability Index
