Introducing Portland's Living Landmarks: A Citywide Celebration of Remarkable Trees

It is easy to see how Portland embraces its nickname of “The Forest City.” More than 20,000 trees line our city streets, parks, and public spaces. These trees are important features of our landscapes that shade our streets, add beauty to our neighborhoods, and help clean our air.

To celebrate trees across the city, we’ve created Portland’s Living Landmarks, an initiative that highlights some of the most meaningful, remarkable, and largest trees throughout Portland.

The idea is inspired by the Champion Tree Program, first created by the American Forestry Association in the 1940s. For decades, the program has recorded the largest known trees of each species across the United States. At a state level, Maine’s Big Tree Program includes 10 champion trees located in Portland. Three of these trees are publicly accessible and can be found right next to the Rose Garden in Deering Oaks Park.

While large and old trees are impressive, Portland’s urban forest is about much more than size. Across our city are countless trees that hold special meaning for community members. These trees may never appear on a national register, yet they are just as important to our lives. Portland’s Living Landmarks was created to celebrate these stories.

Each week, we will spotlight a different tree found in Portland and share the stories behind them. You can also follow along with the video series on our Instagram and Facebook pages as new episodes are released.

To start the series, we are highlighting Maine’s state tree, an Eastern White Pine located in Evergreen Cemetery.

If there’s a tree in Portland that you love, we want to hear about it. Nominate a tree here for a chance to have it featured on our map and in a future episode. By sharing these stories, we can celebrate and help protect the trees that make Portland such a beautiful place to live.

Below are episodes currently featured in the series. As new trees are added, additional episodes will be shared here.

Nan Cumming