Meet Tim Scott – New Member of the Tree Team and Long-Term Portland Volunteer

Interview by Jordana Leeb

Tim Scott is one of those people who puts his whole self into volunteering. Although he joined the Concordia Tree Team relatively recently, he has been an avid volunteer in Portland for 25 years.

His passion during that time has been volunteering for the Mazamas, whose mission is “to inspire everyone to love and protect the mountains.” In his long tenure as a Mazamas volunteer he has been a dedicated teacher and climb leader; teaching basic, intermediate and ice climbing classes; and leading one climbing trip a year, except in 2020. Some of his favorite mountain peaks to climb are Mt Shuksan, El Dorado, Sahale Peak, Unicorn Peak and Mt. Hood. Tim has seen the Mazamas through many changes including the removal of the “climb requirement” – allowing a more diverse pool of people to access the group.

After leaving his job in software development and management one and half years ago, Tim was looking for new ways to contribute to the community. Trees were an interest of his that he wanted to explore further. He started with the Beaumont-Wilshire Tree Team before joining the Concordia Tree Team.

Since the summer he has jumped into the team with both feet - watering the Japanese Raisin tree over the Summer and leading tours at the Concordia Learning Landscape Arboretum opening event in the Fall. He also made time to help redesign the tree team’s t-shirt.

Asked what he likes about volunteering with the Concordia Tree Team, he easily rattles off a list of reasons that include learning about trees, hanging out with like-minded people, learning from Mallory and Jim (lead organizers of the Concordia Tree Team), giving back to the neighborhood by doing something local, seeing the fruits of his labor in the trees he has pruned, learning more about pruning for his own property and helping neighbors with their pruning.

As an avid bicyclist, Tim enjoys living on two neighborhood greenways (NE 37th and NE Going) in a house he has shared with his wife and several dogs since 2005. Together, they have removed the grass on their property and focused on creating bird habitat. He is lucky to have his favorite tree, the Douglas Fir, growing in front of his house. He thinks this 80–100-foot tree may be 100 years old. It has a “split leader” that Jim Gersbach thinks may have been caused by the Columbus Day storm in 1962.

Interested in many aspects of the natural world, connecting with people and problem solving, Tim is looking for what the next chapter brings. Wherever he lands career-wise, the Concordia Tree Team will be a place he continues to leave his mark.