History of "Peg Tree" in our Old Town Neighborhood
- Derrith Schmidt
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
Lake Oswego celebrates the entire month of April as Arbor Month, highlighting its 37-year status as a Tree City USA with community events, educational workshops, and tree plantings. Activities include heritage tree tours, native tree planting parties, and "Tree of the Week" features, focusing on strengthening the local urban forest. Our own neighborhood "Peg Tree" was featured in a video with Ranger Ben and Urban Forester Courtney.
See the Instagram post with Ranger Ben here:
Lots going on to learn about and participate:
Key 2026 Arbor Month Activities
Tree Planting: A tree-planting event is scheduled for April 25 at Westlake Park, where participants can learn proper planting techniques.
Workshops: The city is hosting a series of Urban & Community Forestry Workshops throughout the spring, covering topics like tree pruning and identification.
Heritage Trees: This year's focus includes exploring the city's unique Heritage Trees, such as the historic Peg Tree.
Library Displays: The Lake Oswego Public Library will feature tree-themed books and an art contest display. Urban & Community Forestry Workshops throughout the spring, covering topics like tree pruning and identification.
Heritage Trees: This year's focus includes exploring the city's unique Heritage Trees, such as the historic Peg Tree.
Library Displays: The Lake Oswego Public Library will feature tree-themed books and an art contest display.
Lake Oswego has been recognized as a Tree City USA for 37 consecutive years. The City promotes these events to foster community engagement with nature.
I just read "The Hidden Life of Trees" and learned a lot!
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, written by German forester Peter Wohlleben reveals the forest as a complex, social network. Drawing on both scientific research and decades of personal observation, he argues that trees are not isolated individuals but social beings that live in family-like communities.
Core Themes & Key Takeaways
Trees communicate and share resources through a vast underground network of fungal filaments called mycelia. This "forest internet" allows them to send nutrients to sick neighbors and warn each other of impending dangers, such as insect attacks.
Social Support Systems: Healthy "mother trees" use their root systems to nurse their saplings, stunting their growth so they can live longer and more resiliently in the shade. Trees even keep the stumps of long-felled companions alive for centuries by pumping sugar to them through their roots.
Communication & Senses: Beyond underground networks, trees use scent to communicate. For example, when certain insects attack, trees can release pheromones that attract the specific predators of those insects. Wohlleben also posits that trees can feel pain, have memories, and make decisions based on past experiences.
Collective Survival: A forest creates its own microclimate that moderates extreme heat and cold, which is vital for long-term survival. Solitary trees, like those in urban environments, often die much younger because they lack the protection and support of a community.
Forestry & Conservation: Wohlleben critiques industrial forestry, which treats forests as "lumber factories". He advocates for sustainable practices—such as banning heavy machinery and allowing trees to grow to their full maturity—arguing that undisturbed old-growth forests are far more resilient to climate change.
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