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Want to help make a west Salem park greener? Grab a shovel

Oregon white oak. (Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons)

Wallace Marine Park is about to get a little greener.

On Saturday, Jan. 11 Friends of Trees, a Portland nonprofit, is hosting a tree planting from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The group will be planting 50 trees of various species at the north end of the park near the softball field. Volunteers can register online or show up the day of the event at 200 Glen Creek Rd. N.W.

Salem’s Public Works Department has partnered with Friends of Trees for the past six years as part of a broader effort to increase the tree canopy throughout the city.

Zach Diehl, program coordinator with the Salem Public Works Department, said the city plans tree plantings in the lowest canopy areas and neighborhoods in town.

The city pays Friends of Trees to organize the volunteer events and for the greenery that gets planted.

Diehl said he often sees people smiling in the 40-degree rain at the events.

He said more than 19,000 trees and shrubs have been planted in the course of the partnership.

Logan Lauvray, green space program manager with Friends of Trees, said the trees planted Saturday will be 8- to 12- foot-tall, so they won’t be trampled easily.

Oregon white oak, a native to the area, is one of the species that will be planted this weekend, Diehl said.

He said one of the city’s urban canopy goals is to increase the diversity of trees to make them more resilient to disease.

The next tree planting will be at Cascades Gateway Park on Feb. 22. After that, there will be one at Orchard Heights Park on March 7. 

Have a tip? Contact reporter Saphara Harrell at 503-549-6250 or [email protected]