THE PROMISE TREE PROJECT

The Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. joins with Keep Oregon Green, the Oregon Office of the Fire Marshall, and County building departments, to provide replacement trees to victims of Oregon’s 2020 wildfire losses. You can Help us achieve our goal!

Donation checks may be sent to: OSFGC, Inc. Promise Trees Project – c/o Peggy Trees – P.O. Box 1418, Sherwood, OR  97140

Promise Trees Update 7-26-2022

GET THE WORD OUT!   The Promise Tree Team is asking for all club members to spread the word. We have vouchers to give away to Homeowners of the 2020 fire loses. Follow the links below for information to share with your communities. Post the flyers on community bulletin boards, place service notices in your local news papers, radio, television, and word of mouth. It has been noted that rebuilding is slow at this time, but most properties have a corner  that will accept a tree and mark an owners intent for renewal, regardless of how long it takes to rebuild their home.   This is a CALL TO ACTION!

Promise Trees Update 1-19-2022

In the Fall of 2020 it seemed like Oregon was on fire.  More than 4000 families lost their homes, their memories and their neighborhoods.  The members of the OSFGC wanted to do more than help with the initial needs. They wanted to give homeowners who are rebuilding a Tree.

Through County building departments, fire victim related organizations, and fire departments, $50 vouchers to buy a tree will be distributed.  Homeowners who lost homes in the 2020 fire season who are rebuilding and have obtained a validated building permit are eligible for a voucher.   Follow these links for OBTAINING VOUCHERS and to see a LIST OF NURSERYS that will honor your voucher.

Check out the articles to fire resistant trees and shrubs and guidelines to planting a tree.

https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog/files/project/pdf/pnw590.pdf  guide to fire resistant trees

https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog/files/project/pdf/ec1438.pdf  guide to planting trees

Promise Trees Update 5-14-2022

Our new FLYER  is ready for you to print. Please post this to your community bulletin boards, newspapers, radio stations, and hand it out to anyone interested in helping us rebuild our Green Oregon.  To Date, the Funding has reached the $33,711.00 level.  Our goal is $200,00.00.

Promise Trees Update 7-15-2021

OSFGC has doubled its collected dollars for Promised trees. Figuring out how to verify recipients and distribute vouchers has sent us back to the drawing board . The process proves to be more complicated than first imagined, with many agencies, counties and administrative details to be organized into an efficient distribution plan. Our commitment to the project remains strong and each detail decided upon is another brick in the path towards our goal!

Promise Trees Update 5-6-2021 

We are ready to hand out tree vouchers in Lincoln and Klamath Counties, as soon as The Oregon Association of Nurseries are ready, on their end, to give us the thumbs up. Please, keep those donations flowing in!

Promise Trees Update 4-6-2021
As of last week we have received more than $11,000 in donations. Thanks, so much, to “Keep Oregon Green” for their very generous donation and to all the individuals, clubs, and partners who have contributed to the cause so far. Lincoln County already has a few homes in construction and will be ready for their $50 tree vouchers very soon. We estimate the Promise Tree Project to extend through 2023, as the rebuilding and landscaping phases will take time and planning for many homeowners.

Our very own, Governor Kate Brown, has extended Arbor Day over the entire month of April. ARBOR MONTH is a perfect time to get our message out to person’s who may need a tree and to those who wish to help our cause.

Promise Trees Update 3-22-2021
In September 2020, Oregon was on fire.  A million acres of our beautiful forests burned.  Half a million Oregonians had to evacuate and more than 4,000 homes burned. Homes lost in each county include:  Clackamas: 215, Douglas : 138, Jackson: 2,364, Klamath: 11, Lane: 463, Linn: 54, Lincoln: 288, Marion: 629, Total = 4162.

The Members of the Oregon Federation of Garden Clubs (OSFGC, Inc.) indicated that they wanted to do more than help with immediate needs.  They wanted to give each of the homeowners who lost a home a tree.  We all know how important trees are in the urban landscape.

At this time we are raising funds to be able to hand out $50 vouchers to affected homeowners. We would like to be able to print the vouchers in August and start handing them out early September

Thank you so much for considering helping out.

Tanja Swanson, President Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs 2019-2021

Promise Trees Update 3-16-2021

Dear Promise Trees Team!

We are working on the enlistment of the last few County Building Departments’ support, and in some cases the Oregon Fire Marshall is willing to help with the distribution of Vouchers.

On March 2nd we started asking for donations and as of today we have $4,395 towards funding for the vouchers.  We received some nice donations from our National President, the incoming National President, and from the Garden Clubs of South Carolina!, as well as from our own OSFGC, Inc Clubs. Thank you all!

A nice start to our goal, but we need a lot more!

Will you donate to help those who lost everything, including their beautiful landscapes?

Donation checks can be sent to:  OSFGC, Inc Promise Trees Project  –  c/o Peggy Trees – P.O. Box 1418, Sherwood, OR  97140.