Hoyt Arboretum’s 6K trees to get helping hand from volunteer arborists

More than 100 arborists representing 40 companies are expected to attend the 36th annual Arbororists in the Arboretum event.

A person wearing bright orange worker pants and a helmet hangs suspended from a harness high up in a tree.

Eight local arborists volunteered their time and expertise for the inaugural event in 1987.

Photo by Micheal Drewry via Hoyt Arboretum

This Saturday, Sept. 9, professional arborists from around the Portland area will descend upon Hoyt Arboretum for the 36th annual Arborists in the Arboretum event.

More than 100 arborists are expected to volunteer their time to help maintain the over 6,000 trees growing within the arboretum in Washington Park. They’ll be improving the trees’ overall health and making the space safer and more accessible for visitors by pruning limbs and removing brush, among other things.

Members of the public are welcome to watch the work from a safe distance, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Parking at the Hoyt Arboretum Visitor Center costs $2 per hour or $8 per day.

Hoyt Arboretum — also known as a “living museum of trees” — was founded in 1928 to conserve endangered species from around the world. You can explore the arboretum’s collection online, or visit it in person along 12 miles of trails spanning 189 acres.