Tree Removal Update

Tree removal begins Monday along the Bridgeton Levee

in northeast Portland

Where: Columbia School, 716 NE Marine Drive
When: 10 a.m., Monday, August 25, 2008
Who: Representatives of the Peninsula Drainage District No. 2 Board, Bridgeton Neighborhood Association, Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, landscape architect Bo Nevue and area residents

At 10 a.m. on Monday, August 25, crews will begin the removal of 68 trees along the Bridgeton levee in northeast Portland. The first trees to be removed will be those located at Columbia School along Marine Drive.

Representatives from the neighborhood and the public agencies involved in the project will be on hand to answer questions.

The tree removal is required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in order to recertify the Bridgeton levee, thereby also protecting flood insurance coverage for area residents.

Portland Parks & Recreation City Nature helped facilitate an agreement between the Peninsula Drainage District No. 2 and the Bridgeton Neighborhood Association to study the specific requirements and to remove the required trees, but which also guaranteed a mitigation plan which will replant more trees while still ensuring the integrity of the levee. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer, and Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman all played invaluable roles in making the process successful.

The mitigation plan, designed by landscape architect Bo Nevue, involves planting as many as 304 trees over the next three years as a replacement for the 68 trees being removed.

The Process will take several weeks to complete. There will be street closures as the trees and roots are removed. Thank you for your understanding on this.