Spring 2025 Update

Happy Earth and Arbor Days! We hope this finds you well and enjoying the beautiful spring weather. This update comes right between Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 25), days of stewardship and celebration of the natural world, and a great time to share news about the Portland Botanical Gardens (PBG). As many […]


Green Normalized Differentiated Vegetation Index

Multispectral Imagery of McCormick & Baxter

UAS (drone) bird’s eye photo over central part of the McCormick & Baxter beach & riparian area Calculating and Interpreting Multispectral Imagery Multispectral imaging creates several images for each photo based on defined wavelength bands, in this case Green, Red, and Near Infrared (NIR). This information is used to analyze and visualize the photosynthetic activity […]


olive hanging off of a tree in Oregon after a rain storm

Why is Portland Considered a Mediterranean Climate?

There’s a common misconception that Portland is a temperate rainforest, but the reality is that we’re located in a Mediterranean climate! Understanding the difference between these two climates is crucial for understanding the best gardening practices for our region in addition to the environmental threats that we face. Köppen Climate Classification System The first thing […]