Spring in Portland is beautiful chaos. One minute, you’re dodging hail; the next, you’re squinting into blinding sunshine. But as spring yields to summer, the forecast trends towards warm days and blue skies. It’s the perfect invitation to pack a basket and head to your favorite greenspace. Arbor-eat-um Hoyt Arboretum is a shared public space, … Read more
One of my favorite things about Hoyt Arboretum is the unexpected adventures you encounter on every trail. Each hike, class, or volunteer activity offers a delightful detour from the ordinary. There’s always something wonderful waiting to be discovered. The Call to Adventure Nursery and Planting Specialist, Brett Rousseau, recently asked if I’d like to help … Read more
Spring at Hoyt Arboretum arrives quietly at first—soft light, tender new leaves, and the earliest hints of colourful blooms returning to the landscape. After months of cold, stillness, and uncertainty, the season reminds us that life always finds a way. Each bud, each unfolding leaf, carries its own small message of hope: that growth continues, … Read more
On a recent visit to the Dorena Genetic Resource Center near Cottage Grove, Hoyt Arboretum staff stepped into one of the country’s leading quantitative resistance research facilities and saw, firsthand, how science is helping forests keep pace with fast-moving threats. What’s happening at Dorena isn’t abstract. It’s hands-on, large-scale, and urgent. What Is Quantitative Resistance? … Read more
The growing chaos, conflict, and division in our world often feels overwhelming. As a combat veteran who enlisted after 9/11, I scarcely recognize the country I once risked my life to defend. But in recent months, I’ve found a potent antidote to despair in my volunteer work at Hoyt Arboretum. Discovering the Joy of Volunteering … Read more