UMaine Sponsoring Tree Tour of Oat Nuts Park in Portland

University of Maine Cooperative Extension is offering a tree identification tour in Oat Nuts Park in Portland from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28.

Portland city arborist Jeff Tarling will lead a tour through the park and down to the Presumpscot River Preserve. Oat Nuts Park, on Summit Street, is the gateway to the Presumpscot River Preserve and part of the Forest City Trail, which runs from the Stroudwater Trail to the Presumpscot River and Presumpscot Falls.

This event is free and open to the public, but preregistration is requested. To register, call the UMaine Extension office in Cumberland County at (800) 287-1471 (in Maine) or (207) 781-6099 before Monday, Sept. 24.

The tour is an organized outing of the Maine Tree Club, an educational outreach program established by UMaine Extension, the Maine Forest Service and Viles Arboretum. The club works to teach people of all ages how to identify 50 trees of Maine over a two-year period; to teach participants how to best care for trees on their property and in their community; and to help people to better understand the importance of trees to Maine, their ecosystems and their economy.

For more than 90 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine’s land-grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county.

Contact: Amy Witt, (207) 781-6099, amy.witt@maine.edu