Kickoff event is Friday, Nov. 8; Rogue Treesilience initiative is a grant-funded program that targets underserved areas, and an ODF program covers all county residents

By Tony Boom for the Rogue Valley Times

Residents and organizations in many areas of Jackson County will get free tree services, including assessments, pruning, planting of new trees and hazardous tree removal, through an OUR Community Forestry grant-funded Rogue Treesilience initiative.

The Talent-based nonprofit received an award of $300,000 from the Arbor Day Foundation, which is acting as a pass-through partner for the U.S. Forest Service’s Urban & Community Forestry Program to award Inflation Reduction Act funds the agency received.

Recipients will need to be located in underserved areas identified using the Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. But all county residents will be eligible for similar services under a separate $190,000 program funded by the Oregon Department of Forestry, which the nonprofit is finalizing.

About 50 sites are anticipated to receive treatments to enhance the urban forest canopy in the county under the Arbor Day grant, said Mike Oxendine, executive director of OCF. The program will include three years of maintenance for new tree plantings and will also include educational and community outreach components.

“The Rogue Treesilience program represents an exciting step forward for the health and sustainability of our urban forests, particularly in areas that need them the most,” Oxendine said. “Thanks to the Arbor Day Foundation, we’re able to expand our reach and make a lasting difference in the lives of over 80,000 disadvantaged residents in the Rogue Valley.”

Carbon sequestering, storm water mitigation, air quality improvement, temperature reduction and other benefits come from healthy urban forests at a time when the planet faces climate change, said Oxendine, who founded the nonprofit. The OUR stands for Oregon Urban Rural.

Assessments for properties that have submitted applications are underway. Applications can be made by residents or organizations such as schools, nonprofits or cities which have needs, Oxendine said.

“The target is planting 200 trees. The number of properties we serve will depend on how many apply and are qualified for it,” said Oxendine. “We would feel very successful if we could provide services to 50 different partners.”

Work and assessments are performed by local professional arborists hired by the nonprofit and its own staff.

First target for the program will be planting trees where they are needed due to the long lead time to produce benefits. All trees will come from Plant Oregon, which raises species that will thrive in this area. A total of $62,000 is budgeted for new trees.

“The sooner we get the trees in, the sooner we get the benefit. The goal is to get them all planted by the end of 2025,” Oxendine said.

Almost $62,000 is budgeted for tree pruning and preservation, Oxendine said. Preservation of existing trees that are providing benefits is a preferred way to proceed, he said.

“There are heritage or signature trees that are worth saving and treating,” Oxendine said. “You might want to save a 100-year-old, large canopy tree. It’s more cost effective.”

An educational and community outreach component will be facilitated in-part by college students through a workforce development initiative that is budgeted at $70,000 under the grant.

Students would have paid positions that will also include hands-on work to gain practical experience. Applications for up to six first year positions have been received from 10 students in the Southern Oregon University environmental sciences program. Students will learn about safety and industry standards, tree climbing and pruning as well as dragging brush and feeding chippers.

Applications are now being accepted for the Treesilience program. Those interested can find information and the application form at ourcommunityforestry.org under Programs and Projects. The site includes an interactive form of the EPA screening tool map so residents can determine eligibility.

Areas on the map include most of the northeast quarter of Jackson County, parts of downtown Ashland, Phoenix and land to the west, areas in Medford and to the west, White City, Central Point, Eagle Point and land south of Gold Hill to Highway 238. Talent is not shown on that map, but areas are eligible due to Almeda Fire damage as shown on other maps, Oxendine said.

Oxendine said he would like to see more trees planted along Highway 62 and in White City, where there appear to be very few. The lack of trees makes that area a heat island, and the same situation is seen along Highway 99 in Talent.

Those accepted for the program will sign stewardship agreements that will allow access to the property and call for them to assist with maintenance of the trees and to report problems that may arise.

All trees planted will be entered into an EPA GIS database that tracks the ecological benefit each tree brings. OCF will be making reports on the project outcomes.

The Arbor Day Foundation awarded $4.7 million in urban forestry grants to 18 community-based nonprofits, including OCF, in early September. More than 230 applications had been submitted.

OCF will hold a kickoff event for the program work on Friday, Nov. 8, at 309 S. Pacific Highway in Talent where a business, a residence and trees were damaged by the Almeda Fire.

The event will run from 12:30 until 5 p.m. and includes the chance for the public to plant trees along the highway. Preservation work will be performed on fire-scarred trees on the affected properties. Oregon Department of Forestry representatives will be present.

Reach Ashland freelance writer Tony Boom at tboomwriter@gmail.com. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.