Forest Park conservationists rally to appeal PGE's upcoming 5-acre tree removal

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – After a proposal from Portland General Electric to expand power lines in Forest Park was approved by city leaders, Portlanders are pushing back on the decision.

Groups are expected to rally outside Portland City Hall on Thursday in protest of the project the Forest Park Conservancy says will impact nearly five acres with the removal of 397 trees, the filling of two wetlands, and the disruption of two streams.

PGE’s Harborton Reliability Project will install a quarter-mile transmission line, in addition to replacing some pre-existing lines. The project was approved by City of Portland Hearings Officer Marisha Childs in January 2025. 

“As we’ve had time to review the Hearings Officer’s decision, we’ve become even more frustrated as it repeatedly ignores key land use laws and the City’s own staff report that recommended denial, and instead gives deference to a private corporation’s arguments,” the conservancy said in a statement ahead of the rally.

Following the decision, the group submitted an appeal to Portland Permitting & Development. The plan sets out to protect and restore the site’s natural resources amid an uptick in factors like the number of visitors, spread of English ivy and the homeless population.

Thursday’s event coincides with a City Council hearing in which city leaders will consider the conservancy’s appeal. The group has encouraged the public to submit a public comment in support of Forest Park and show up for the rally to testify during the hearing at 2 p.m.

PGE has already completed the project’s first two phases. The company stated that the ongoing project only entails the removal of trees that pose safety hazards for the park, as the utility works to renew the aging infrastructure that brings electricity to its customers.

The utility previously stated that it hired a board-certified master arborist to identify the maximum amounts of trees that could be preserved throughout the park. The utility also said working in the proposed area would not affect “old growth habitat.”

But environmental advocates from organizations like Forest Park Conservancy and Bird Alliance of Oregon have argued the project would hinder the park’s plant and animal communities — including Douglas fir and big leaf maple trees that are more than 150 years old.

“PGE cannot fully mitigate the damage from the proposed project,” the conservancy said in a previous statement. “There are alternatives to their proposal, and this proposed project disrupts the forest’s trajectory to becoming an ancient forest.”

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