New trees find their way to Fernhill Park
Fernhill Park has an excellent and varied collection of trees. Most of them, however, were planted three quarters of a century ago, so losses due to age and storms are slowly thinning the canopy.
The last big tree planting at Meek had been the Douglas-fir trees on the southeast side of the off-leash dog area several years ago. More recently, a katsura tree was planted on the north side of the park next to Holman Street to replace a multi-trunked Oregon white oak that predated creation of the park but split apart in an ice storm.
A young bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) in spring. (Credit: Jim Gersbach)
This winter, Portland Parks and Recreation made a concerted effort to add to Fernhill’s treescape. Most notable was the planting of five bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) just south of the tennis courts.
Bald cypress are cone-bearing trees with the unusual habit of being deciduous (hence the name “bald” referring to the needles falling each autumn). In fall their soft needles will turn a russet-orange.
Bald cypress are native from SE Virginia along the Atlantic coastal plain and all the way across the South to eastern Texas, and as far north as southern Illinois. Well adapted to living in swamps, they instantly conjure images of the bayous of Louisiana, and indeed are the official tree of that state. They will also grow equally well outside of swamps, although they will require summer watering to make it through Oregon’s increasingly dry summers.
If watered until well established, these narrowly upright trees can live several centuries. They are the first ones planted at Fernhill, and represent a new genus and family of trees, adding to the park’s diversity.
Fernhill already had some mature incense cedars (Calocedrus decurrens) but several more have been added in various spots in the park, including two on the southern edge of the soccer fields, and one on the north slope of the hill facing Holman Street.
Incense cedars are evergreen conifer trees native to southern Oregon and northern California. Drought tolerant, they are proving to be more climate resilient than western redcedar, making them a safer choice for the rest of this century, when average temperatures are expected to rise to levels not seen in millions of years.
Also added to Fernhill were three Oregon white oaks (Quercus garryana) on the southern slope facing the off-leash dog area. This is a perfect spot for these sun-loving deciduous trees. Capable of living for two to four centuries or longer, they are Portland natives, so perfectly adaptable to our dry summers and wet winters. Their natural range extends well into California, demonstrating their ability to survive more intense heat and drought than Portland currently experiences but which may soon become more common here.
A young incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens). The evergreen conifers can grow 70' to 115' tall. (Credit: Jim Gersbach)