Couch Park is Under Construction!

Big things are happening under the beautiful trees at Couch Park this fall. Taking advantage of the lovely October weather we’ve been having, a small GreenWorks crew biked up to the Alphabet District on their lunch break earlier this week to see the latest progress. The stormwater planters and other concrete work is well underway, and the monolithic boulders are a sight to behold. We can’t wait to see the rest of Portland’s first inclusive playground come together in the next few months.

Progress at Reed's Crossing!

Reed’s Crossing is a master planned community developed by Newland Communities. The community will be constructed over the next 15 years and will comprised of single and multi-family residential, commercial, mixed use and high-density residential development with associated roadways, utilities, stormwater facilities, trails and open space. Reed’s Crossing comm is approximately 460 acres and it is part of the South Hillsboro Community Plan, Hillsboro, Oregon.

For an update on the latest progress at Reed’s Crossing Greenway Park, check out the video below!

Jason King Published at The Nature Of Cities

“Each site we design, as landscape architects, is an opportunity to increase biodiversity as it works in the local bioregion and bolsters local goals, which collectively contribute to tackling that wicked global problem of biodiversity loss.”

The Nature of Cities Global Roundtable gives Landscape Architects a chance to interpret the word “biodiversity” and discuss how it relates and takes root in their design and work.

“Biodiversity,” according to GreenWorks Landscape Architect and Associate Principal Jason King in his recent essay, “is one of those rare words landscape architects should use often, and with confidence to describe a unique value our profession can add to the world.” More than a buzzword, with applications at both local and global levels, “biodiversity can be a key ingredient in green infrastructure, such as the shift from sedum-specific to more biodiverse green roofs, which amplify what we’re currently doing with a great focus on biodiversity.”

Visit The Nature of Cities to read Jason’s full article and explore what other voices Landscape Architecture have to say about biodiversity.

GreenWorkers Volunteer at Park Tree Inventory Workday

Recently, employees from our team volunteered with Portland Parks and Recreation’s Urban Forestry department at a Park Tree Inventory workday. Working alongside 30+ other community members at Ed Benedict Community Park, they gathered tree data including location, height, width, DBH, and tree species. This was part of an ongoing tree inventory project that Urban Forestry has been working on to catalog tree data and build an interactive tree map.

Volunteers came across some tricky tree identification including:

• Oxydendrum arboretum: Sourwood. Look for bright red leaves in fall (now!) and cream colored fruit clusters.

• Larix occidentalis: Western larch. One of the few deciduous conifers – look for the yellowing needles later this month and in October.

• Quercus robur: English oak. Not to be confused with Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana), the English oak has deep rounded lobes “ear lobes” at the base of each leaf blade.

Portlanders can use this link to see what street trees have already been cataloged in Portland Parks, and can use this link to see what street trees have been cataloged. It’s definitely a helpful tool for anyone practicing their tree identification!