La Grande Preparing to Plant Dozens of Trees Along Island Avenue Greenway

La Grande Parks & Recreation has begun preparing the Island Avenue Greenway for new street trees after securing a $79,830 grant from the Department of Land Conservation and Development, local reporting shows. Garrett Christensen of Elkhornmediagroup wrote that “Over the past several weeks, contractors from Hamilton Excavation have been preparing the ground along the Island Avenue Greenway between Adams Avenue and the La Grande/Island City boundary, including hauling and spreading mulch.”

The project area runs along the Island Avenue right-of-way adjacent to a manufactured dwelling park and extends to the La Grande/Island City boundary. Grant materials for the Island Avenue Greenway Project state that the city intends to “Plant forty climate resilient, large stature shade trees in the right-of-way adjacent to a manufactured dwelling park that has no environmental buffer from the five-lane state highway, the railroad spur line, or the auto dealership directly across the highway.” Elkhornmediagroup described the effort as preparing for “dozens of new trees next year,” which aligns with the grant’s stated goal.

Work on the greenway began earlier in October 2025. “Work began on October 6 with a group from Riverbend Youth Correctional Facility cutting down weeds along the strip,” Christensen reported. He added that “Hamilton Excavation was then brought in to pull dirt away from the sidewalks and prepare the area for tree mulch,” and that “Portions of the Greenway further into La Grande generally required minimal landscaping, while the terrain required more filling closer to Island City.”

The grant packet frames the plantings as a targeted intervention for an underserved block. Its language says the project will “extend greenway to increase tree canopy in an underserved community; improving air quality, providing screening, sequestering carbon, mitigating summer temperatures, and shading the pedestrian right-of-way.” That bundle of aims responds directly to the site’s proximity to heavy infrastructure and a lack of environmental buffering for residents of the adjacent manufactured dwelling park.

The Island Avenue work fits within La Grande’s broader urban forestry goals. City of La Grande Urban Forestry Division materials note the division’s mission to “preserve and protect the beautiful, majestic trees we have and to plant more, up to 100 a year.” Former La Grande urban forester Teresa Gustafson told the East Oregonian in 2021, “Our goal is to plant 100 shade trees every year in the city.” The city also offers street trees to residents for $40 and maintains a public tree inventory.

Permitting and contacts for right-of-way plantings are handled through the city. City material states that “A Street Tree Work Permit is required for planting, major pruning, or removing a tree from the City right-of-way” and that “There is no charge for the permit.” Residents and neighbors seeking information can contact the Urban Forestry Division at 541-663-1952 or email trees@cityoflagrande.org; the city excerpt also lists 541-962-1352, ext. 204 and instructs to email Anna Lindquist to obtain a Street Tree Work Permit.

As of late October 2025 the city and its contractors were focused on site preparation; the grant packet gives a clear numeric target of forty trees but does not list species or a detailed planting schedule. Elkhornmediagroup’s reporting indicates planting is slated for next year, and city officials can be contacted at the numbers above for updates on the 2026 planting plan and any map or maintenance details.