Plant a Street Tree

Please Note: Wait till the rain starts to plant! This is to ensure optimum planting conditions. If you have received a permit for street tree replacement, it will specify a planting deadline. If you require a longer timeline, please coordinate with the Planning Division so that the tree gets planted in a reasonable amount of time.

Street Trees

A street tree is a community-owned tree that grows on City property. Generally, they are located adjacent to your home in a planter strip or median between the sidewalk and the street. When planter strips are not present, they may be planted near the street pavement or behind a sidewalk.

A permit is required for planting a street tree in the planter strip adjacent to your home to ensure you have chosen the proper species which will not damage nearby utilities, street pavement or sidewalk in the future. The City has adopted a list of appropriate street trees (PDF) that will grow properly within your planter strip width. The City will allow any tree species to be planted in the planter strip adjacent to your home that is listed as an appropriate tree species for your planter strip width, or if documentation is submitted to the Planning Division from a Certified Arborist indicating the appropriateness of the tree species. In order to prevent a future problem, please assure that the tree(s) are not planted within:

  • Fifteen feet from streetlights
  • Five feet from fire hydrants
  • Twenty feet from intersections

You may want to consider installing a root barrier or planter box to limit the spreading of the roots of your new tree. Please email the Planning Division or call 503-722-3789 for additional information.

Did You Know?

Planting a street tree can provide an abundance of benefits to those streets they occupy. For example, a recent study by the City of Portland found that a tree with a canopy cover of 312 square feet (the average for the study) adds $7,593 to the house it fronts. However, it also positively influences the prices of houses within 100 feet. On average, there are 7.6 houses within 100 feet of a street tree. Therefore, a tree with 312 square feet of canopy cover adds, on average, $9,241 to the value of neighboring houses.

How to Care for Your Trees

Click on the following website links for easy-to-understand tips on caring for your trees:

Documents

  1. Adopted Street Tree List, as of August 17, 2022 (PDF)
  2. Portland Tree Value Study Background (PDF)
  3. Portland Tree Value Study Summary (PDF)
  4. Street Tree Planting - Public Works (PDF)
  5. Street Tree Planting and Removal Guide (PDF)
  6. Street Tree Removal and Replacement Application (PDF)