Valentine’s day is around the corner, which means love is in the air. Andy Lipkis, the Founder of TreePeople, loves his family, his friends, and, of course, trees. As “Los Angeles’ Professional Lorax,” he considers every single tree lovable and worth fighting for.
His love for the environment began in the early ’70s when, on a camping trip, he took the issue of dying forests into his own teenage hands. Since then, he’s been an activist and champion for the environment.… Read more >>
On January 17, 2019, TreePeople worked with students from Kadima Day School in honor of the holiday Tu BiShvat, or “New Year of The Trees,” in Hebrew.
In support of the celebration, TreePeople worked with students to bring understanding to the steps that are involved in caring for struggling trees.
Here are some of the activities the students participated in:
Instant Expert Activity
This activity prompts students to read facts about the importance of trees in our urban environment and tree care.… Read more >>
On Saturday, January 26, 2019, TreePeople, California State Coastal Conservancy, and the City of San Fernando joined to launch Calles Verdes: an initiative to green the city!
This initiative is a multi-benefit greening project that will engage thousands of community and youth members to transform San Fernando into a model City for climate resilience.
At least 750 trees will be planted to shade sundrenched streets and absorb harmful greenhouse gasses. Streets and parking lots will be redesigned and constructed with innovative features that will capture precious stormwater to bolster water supplies and reduce polluted runoff.… Read more >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>