Portland residents can pick up free trees to plant in their yards Saturday, Oct. 17, at Harrison Park, where the city's Arbor Day celebration returns to the Jade District with food, live music and bucket truck rides.

Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry and the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) are hosting the event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2101 S.E. 84th Ave. Admission and all activities are free.

The centerpiece is the Yard Tree Giveaway. The city's event page lists 300 free trees available, though a Parks & Recreation press release from Oct. 7 put the number at "over 200." Either way, advance registration is required online or by calling 503-823-4963. Residents can request up to three trees each.

The city noted on its Yard Tree Giveaway page that some people have had trouble with online registration and encouraged them to call instead.

Options include Pacific Northwest native evergreens, heat-tolerant varieties, flowering trees and nut-bearing trees, The Oregonian reported. Every tree is small enough to fit in a car or ride home on a bus. Species range from a Cryptomeria 'Yoshino' that grows to 15 feet to a giant sequoia or Douglas fir. Each tree comes with a free watering bucket filled with mulch and planting instructions.

Free delivery and planting help are available for residents with limited mobility.

Trees from the giveaway can also fulfill the replanting requirement of a city tree removal permit, according to the Yard Tree Giveaway page.

Beyond the giveaway, volunteers will help plant 15 young trees in Harrison Park itself. Kids can ride a bucket truck to the tops of tall trees. Jade District food vendors will offer free samples, and the schedule includes wreathmaking, tree identification activities, live music and dance performances. About 20 nonprofit organizations, including the Portland Fruit Tree Project, will be on hand.

"Arbor Day is a wonderful chance to celebrate everything trees offer people and nature," Portland City Forester Jenn Cairo said in the Oct. 7 press release.

The celebration marks Portland's 50th year as a Tree City USA community. The city has held Arbor Day since 1889 but shifted it from April to October because hot, dry summers made it harder for spring-planted trees to survive, according to Portland Parks & Recreation. October planting lets new trees benefit from wet winter months.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is running a Bike Bus to the event. Riders meet at 9 a.m. at the Glenhaven Park BIKETOWN station at N.E. 81st Avenue and N.E. Siskiyou Street, with the ride starting at 9:30 a.m.

The 7.5-mile route runs at a moderate pace. Riders without their own bikes can get a free BIKETOWN code by emailing [email protected]. Participants are entered in a raffle for an Urban Forestry tote bag and Portland Design Works bike lights.

Funding for the Arbor Day celebration comes from the U.S. Forest Service through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Meyer Memorial Trust. The broader Yard Tree Giveaway program is funded primarily by the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF).

Upcoming community events

The Yard Tree Giveaway continues every Saturday this fall, with about 300 trees distributed at each event. The program is giving away 4,500 trees total across six Saturday giveaways for Portland residents to plant on private property, including yards, places of worship and businesses.