PORTLAND, Ore. — Wintry conditions last week knocked down hundreds of trees across Portland alone, and the recovery from that storm is still underway.
That's the message from Portland Parks & Recreation, who said the cleanup is far from finished as another round of storms threatens to bring down even more.
Urban Forestry staff continue to address more than 750 tree emergencies due to severe weather conditions. They said that number is comparable to the major winter storm of February 2021.
City tree workers prioritize removing trees and tree debris from public roads and thoroughfares, beginning with the most-traveled routes and working their way into neighborhoods.
"We had an unprecedented April snow storm [during] a time of year when trees and flowers are blooming. They've got more leaves and surface area that the snow was weighing down," said Mark Ross with Portland Parks & Recreation. "It's all hands on deck. We're continuing to move from the biggest impacts to the smallest, making sure ambulances can through. Making sure firetrucks have clear routes. Making sure doctors can get to their patients."
Ross told KGW News that work will continue for the next several weeks.
"We have a complement of about nine people who can go out and do a surprising amount of work with the capacity that they have. It's not a huge number - those nine people don't work at the very same time, so understanding the limitations of capacity is going to be key to everyone understanding what we're facing."
As they keep an eye out for more severe weather, Portland Parks & Recreation is reminding people that they cannot get to every tree right away and some of the trees they will not get to at all. That's because homeowners are responsible for the fallen trees in their yard.
City workers know about the trees that fell during the last week's storm, but anyone who knows about newly fallen trees blocking city streets or sidewalks can make a report by calling (503)823-TREE .