Let's Make East Portland Green (and violet and azure and chartreuse and gold and salmon and magenta...)
"Portland's tree canopy is not distributed evenly throughout the city and is correlated to income. West of the Willamette river tree canopy is 56% while east of the Willamette tree canopy is only 21%. Tree canopy in individual neighborhoods varies from 5-70%. This vastly uneven distribution means that tree services and benefits are not accessible to many of Portland’s residents." (From Growing a more equitable urban forest, prepared by Portland Parks & Recreation)
East Portland Plant Buying Club's mission is to help neighbors grow more trees, shrubs, and flowers by offering affordable, high-quality plants, in low-maintenance varieties appropriate for our region that provide food and habitat for local wildlife, and avoid plants with invasive tendencies.
Chris Musser, Club Organizer
Growing up in suburban Maryland with gardening and food-preserving parents, I developed a love of plants and an appreciation for the quality and variety of homegrown fruits and vegetables. After moving to Portland in 1996, I discovered that gardening west of the Cascades is quite different. In my quest to learn about growing here, I trained as a Multnomah County Master Gardener, studied fruit tree care at the Home Orchard Society and Home Orchard Education Center and naturescaping at EMSWCD workshops, volunteered with Growing Gardens, and earned Backyard Habitat certification. I've taught cooking and food preservation classes, worked as a personal chef, hosted a food buying club connecting local farms with neighbors, and served on the Portland Urban Food & Farming Advisory Group. I've been living and gardening in the Russell neighborhood of outer NE Portland for 22 years.
