Never Leave a Stub Behind!

Never Leave a Stub Behind!

Seriously! Stubs- whether on a tree or shrub- should never be left when pruning.  Their unsightly appearance aside, they are potentially harmful to the plant, promising dead, diseased branch ends and/or sprouts of weakly-attached growth.

People heal, plants seal

When people are cut or injured, our bodies heal. We replace damaged cells with new cells. In contrast, when woody plants, such as trees and shrubs, are cut or injured, their cell tissues are permanently destroyed. Instead of creating new cells, they grow over the cut to seal it off, creating a protective barrier of wound wood to the outside and barrier walls to the inside – to compartmentalize the wounded area.… Read more >>

TWO Challenges for Students!

TreePeople and Generation Earth are hosting two challenges for Los Angeles County school students from grades 6-12: Recycle to Win and Streets to the Sea! 

Remember, YOU CAN JOIN EITHER AT ANY TIME as long as you finish your project(s) by March 1, 2019, so please get involved!

Recycle to Win is a battle of the schools to improve their campus recycling programs. All you have to do is collect and record recyclables for at least 2 weeks in a row!… Read more >>

TreePeople Youth Leadership All-Star: Emily!

We want to highlight one of TreePeople’s all-star youth leaders: Emily, an 11th-grade student from Clark Media Magnet who was recently awarded a Gold Scout Award. Emily contacted TreePeople for the first time in late June 2018 wanting to enroll in TreePeople’s Summer Tree Care Program and, after a phone meeting, we realized that Emily’s true goal was to spread awareness about the importance of tree care in urban environments!

Since then, Emily has attended and completed a TreePeople Volunteer Supervisor Training through our Forestry Department.… Read more >>

Winter is Here – It’s Time to Plant!

 

Southern California winter months are the ideal time to install native and climate-appropriate non-native plants into your landscape.

 

 

In Southern California, it rains in late fall, winter and spring with almost no rain in the summer. Rainfall in December is around 1.75 – 2” increasing to 2.75” in January and then begins to decrease after April.  Now is the best time to get plants in the ground ahead of, and during, the early part of the season to give them a chance to use the cooler weather and rain to begin developing deep root systems, and become established.… Read more >>

Educating Campuses Across LA County

Over the past few months, TreePeople has been educating both teachers and students throughout Los Angeles County on green issues that challenge campuses and communities, and projects they can do to help.

On September 8, 2018- TreePeople held their Generation Earth Recycling and Beyond Workshop led by Trash Guru and Recycling Specialist Kenny Derieg.  We had one of the largest turnouts in the history of this workshop, with close to 40 people participating. The workshop covered a myriad of projects and practices that attendees can implement to reduce their carbon footprint on their campuses and in their communities.… Read more >>

Soil Maintenance – the Secret to Healthy Plants!

One of the keys to maintaining native and climate-appropriate plants in your sustainable landscape is the health of the soil.  Plant roots utilize and store nutrients in the soil environment, so it is essential that the soil contains what the roots need!   

Can’t I Just Add Fertilizer?

It is not necessary to spend your money on chemical fertilizers to ensure healthy plants. Besides, chemical fertilizers are not good for the water cycle.  When they get washed off into storm drains and then flow to the ocean, these nitrogen-rich fertilizers cause a rapid growth in algae that negatively affect fish and other aquatic life.  … Read more >>

A Dirty Recipe for Perfect Soil

 

 

One of our recent blogs gave you an idea of why organic soil is better for your plants than dousing your garden with chemicals. Here are the key components of healthy soil, explained:

 

Sand, Silt, and Clay

These materials comprise the texture of soil. While the three are comprised of rocks and minerals, they vary in composition and size. Sand is the largest grain, followed by silt, and then clay.

Organic Matter

Organic matter consists of decomposed branches, leaves, bark, roots, plants, insects, and animals.… Read more >>

Getting Water-Wise about our Cistern!

Is this a scene from a scary movie?

Does an evil clown lurk down here?

 

Is a local acting group doing a cult film reenactment?

 

NOPE. THE TRUTH IS MUCH MORE TERRIFYING.

This is our underground cistern: it provides a smart way to collect and store up to 216,000 GALLONS of rainwater, which we use for park maintenance during extreme heat or drought. The scary thing is, sustainable water technology like this isn’t widespread in Los Angeles; and more frighteningly, we let 100 BILLION GALLONS of rainwater go to waste every year.… Read more >>

A Night to Remember: An Evening Under the Harvest Moon

 

On one of the first fall evenings of 2018, a cool breeze blew through Coldwater Canyon Park, sending the fallen leaves of our deciduous trees dancing down the winding hiking trails.

At the top of the hill, the TreePeople Conference center bustled with energy as our massive cistern was transformed into a grand ballroom under the stars. String lights shone over dining tables, elegant place settings glowed in the soft light, massive bouquets of mauve, blush, and mulberry-colored flowers dotted the scene, and caterers weaved through the gathering crowd with trays of drinks and miniature hors d’oeuvres catered by Schaeffer’s.… Read more >>

The Green California Schools & Community Colleges Summit and Exposition will be in Pasadena October 29-30, 2018!

Attention educators and school administrators! 2018 Green California Schools and Community Colleges Summit and Exposition will be coming to the Pasadena Convention Center October 29-30, 2018. 

The nation’s first statewide green schools event, the conference focuses on the strategies, best practices, and technologies needed to create healthy, high-performance learning environments for California students.

The opening session on October 29 will feature author and Green Schoolyards America founder Sharon Danks while State Architect Chet Widom will speak in a keynote breakfast on October 30.… Read more >>