‘Planting of the Trees’ for Tree Planting Festival takes place in winter for better survivability

By ETHAN RODRIGUEZ/for The Herald  —  On Saturday, Dec. 7, for the first time in 30 years, Oakridge’s annual winter Tree Planting Festival made a comeback. On that rainy Saturday, about a dozen members of all ages from the Oakridge community gathered to plant 100 native trees and shrubs on the disc golf course.

The festival was part of a larger effort to enhance the industrial park and improve Oakridge’s overall ecology.

While the annual tree planting festival has been a tradition since 1953, this year was the first in over 30 years that one has been held in the winter. Organizers opted to hold the actual planting of the trees portion of the festival during the winter due to the season’s wetter conditions and optimal soil fertility.

“By the summer, there’s a scarcity of water, and the trees have to compete to survive,” said Guen DiGioia, secretary of the tree planting festival. “Winter planting gives the trees a much better chance to take root and grow.”

As a consequence of the summer’s drier climate, last July’s festival didn’t yield much in terms of the trees’ survivability. That event was more ceremonious and community-oriented than environmentally beneficial. In contrast, Saturday’s efforts are expected to be a success and yield greater ecological benefits.

Saturday’s efforts centered around a small creek that branches off the Willamette Fish Hatchery and feeds into Salmon Creek. The hatchery’s runoff is warmer than the creek itself, which has negatively impacted the creek’s health and surrounding ecosystem.

To address this, native trees have been planted along the creek’s banks in hopes of mitigating
its temperature by providing shade. Organizers hope that once shaded, the overall health of
Salmon Creek and the area around the disc golf course will improve. Another benefit of shading
the creek is pushing out invasive blackberry bushes. The blackberry bushes crowd the creek’s
banks and compete with native plants for water and nutrients. Removing them is essential to
restoring ecological balance to the area.

The revival of the winter festival is part of greater efforts to restore and revitalize the natural areas of Oakridge. Along with the tree planting festival, work is underway to extend the flume trail (historically known as the canal trail). The new portion of the trail runs through the disc golf course and along the creek that was central to last Saturday’s event. The trail will connect east and west Oakridge by way of the old railroad bridge on the outskirts of the golf course.

These projects, alongside others, aim to increase both ecological viability and recreational opportunities in Oakridge, reflecting the town’s tradition and commitment to environmental stewardship.

The main portion of the annual Tree Planting Festival, replete with parade, open houses, booths, along with several activities, will still be held in late spring.