Eugene earns Tree City USA honor for 47th straight year

Eugene marked its 47th straight year as a Tree City USA community by putting new trees in the ground downtown, with Mayor Kaarin Knudson planting a ceremonial tree at Eugene City Hall on April 10 and urban forestry staff adding 17 more along East Broadway and Hilyard Street.

The plantings were not just symbolic. City officials have tied them to a downtown corridor meant to be cooler, safer and easier to walk through, with the Broadway Paving and Sidewalks Project removing one of three southbound-to-eastbound lanes in part of East Broadway to make room for wider sidewalks, street trees and short-term commercial parking. In a city that talks often about climate resilience, the practical payoff is straightforward: more shade in summer, less runoff in heavy rain, and a street edge that feels less hostile on foot.

Tree City USA recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation comes with specific requirements. Communities must have a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, spend at least $2 per resident on urban forestry and hold an Arbor Day observance. Eugene’s planting this year also fit the city’s own proclamation, which pointed to trees improving air quality, reducing stormwater runoff, moderating temperatures and supporting wildlife habitat, while also helping property values and business-district vitality.

The broader picture is larger than one downtown planting. Eugene’s 2025 Urban Forest Action Plan is the city’s first comprehensive urban forestry update in more than 35 years, and it sets a goal of reaching 30% citywide canopy coverage by 2040. The city’s 2021 Urban Tree Canopy Report put average canopy at 22.1%, leaving a wide gap between current conditions and the long-term target.

That gap matters because Eugene’s forest is not evenly spread across the city. The city says it has more than 65,000 street trees and loses about 1,000 each year to attrition, pests, storms and development. It also says 72% of the urban forest sits on private land, which means canopy gains will depend on more than city crews planting along public rights of way. The canopy report included an equity map, underscoring that some districts and neighborhoods have more tree cover than others.

Eugene’s latest Arbor Day observance also pointed ahead. The city said its 2026 planting would include trees on a county lot across from the courthouse on Pearl Street between 6th and 7th Streets, another visible reminder that the city’s tree policy is now being folded into downtown design, transportation changes and neighborhood equity all at once.