Name: Vanport Cottonwoods- State Heritage Tree Dedication
Start: 2026-05-29T10:00:00-07:00
End: 2026-05-29T10:45:00-07:00
Location: 1810 N Broadacre Road, Portland OR 97217

Vanport Cottonwoods- State Heritage Tree Dedication

Join us as we induct the Vanport Cottonwoods into the Oregon Heritage Tree Program!
The Vanport Cottonwoods, scientific name Populus trichocarpa, are collectively Oregon’s 86th Heritage Tree, a designation that recognizes trees with statewide or national significance. The trees range from 75-100 ft tall with an average crown spread of 34 ft. The stand is estimated to be approximately 90 years old.
Speakers at the event include Vanport survivors and descendants, Indigenous community leaders, professional arborists, and the chair of the Oregon Heritage Tree Committee.
Vanport was among the largest wartime housing projects in the United States, housing over 40,000 people at its peak during World War II. From 1942 to 1948 it was also the second largest city in Oregon. It was built in one year to house workers and families in war industries, primarily at the Vancouver and Portland shipyards. Vanport was wiped out by Columbia River floodwaters on Memorial Day weekend, May 30, 1948.
Today, there are few remnants of this community on the landscape. Thanks to a collaboration between Nidus Consulting, Outdoor History Consulting, and the Vanport Placemarking Project, several cottonwood trees have been identified that likely survived the Vanport Flood. The team utilized aerial photos from the City of Portland’s Archives to track images of the same stands of trees in the same locations over decades to provide strong evidence.
The dedication will take place under the umbrella of the Vanport Mosaic Festival, a 10-day event that amplifies, honors, and preserves the silenced histories that surround us in order to understand our present, and create a future where we all belong.
The event will take place on Friday, May 29 at 10 a.m. at the trees, which can be accessed from the parking lot at 1810 N Broadacre Rd, Portland OR 97217 near the entrance to the Portland International Raceway.