Portland, Maine – ‘the Forest City’

The Forestry Division has been managing Portland’s community forest resources: shade & ornamental trees along with city woodlands and parks since the late-nineteenth century. Our municipal community forest consists of over 20,000 trees along over 300 miles of public roadways and within our parks & public grounds. Our Horticulture Crew creates and maintains beautiful display gardens along with maintaining landscape elements throughout the city. In 2014 the "Friends of Forest City Trees" was formed by Portland residents to advocate for Portland’s trees & forests. With a focus on the environmental benefits of trees, edible landscape (orchards & food forests), sustainable trees & forests. Portland has received the ‘Tree City USA’ award from the National Arbor Day Foundation since 1978.

With help from the Maine Forest Service’s ‘Project Canopy’ program and the US Forest Service – Portland recently completed a city-wide GIS based tree inventory, conducted management plans for our woodland parks and created a ‘Portland Forest Video’ as part of the MFS ‘Profiles of Woodland Stewardship’ series.