La Grande preparing to plant dozens of new trees along Island Avenue
By Garrett Christensen on Wednesday, October 29th, 2025 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – La Grande Parks and Recreation is in the process of preparing Island Avenue for dozens of new trees next year. Over the past several weeks, contractors from Hamilton Excavation have been preparing the ground along the Island Avenue Greenway between Adams Avenue and the La Grande/Island City boundary, including hauling and spreading mulch.
According to La Grande Urban Forester Teresa Gustafson, the greenway project is funded by a $79,830 dollar grant provided by the Department of Land Conservation and Development. Work began on October 6 with a group from Riverbend Youth Correctional Facility cutting down weeds along the strip. Hamilton Excavation was then brought in to pull dirt away from the sidewalks and prepare the area for tree mulch. Portions of the Greenway further into La Grande generally required minimal landscaping, while the terrain required more filling closer to Island City.
According to Gustafson, the current project is also nearly double the scope of the initial plan. Originally, Parks and Recreation planned to stop near the Sacajawea Mobile Home Park but eventually expanded to the full length of Island Avenue. In total, between 80-100 trees will be planted during Spring and Fall of 2026.
Overall, the goal of the project, according to Parks and Rec, is to provide more trees in areas of the city typically underserved for green spaces or otherwise disconnected from the city’s primary tree canopy.
