Concrete to Canopy: Green Dreams for Inglewood & Lennox

What comes to mind when you think of South LA? Endless stretches of treeless streets sealed in sizzling pavement?

Imagine if we could convert concrete to canopy one block, one person, one tree at a time.

Our climate reality has left frontline communities vulnerable to devastating impacts– like crippling heat and harmful floods. Inglewood and Lennox are prime examples, tucked away within the concrete-laden, tree-poor neighborhoods of South LA.

Left without adequate resources or enough life-saving tree canopy, these neighborhoods are at risk of damage from climate change’s extreme weather events and public health impacts, including pollution-triggered asthma and heat-related hospitalizations.… Read more >>

UPDATE: $1.2 Million to Retrofit Homes to Capture and Infiltrate Rain

Yesterday, the LA County Board of Supervisors awarded TreePeople $1.2 million to pilot an innovative approach to home rainwater capture projects in unincorporated areas of LA County, with a focus on underserved communities. The project will help protect vulnerable communities from flooding, contribute toward our region’s water supply, improve water quality and offer water storage for later use.

It is part of a larger $4 million settlement between LA County and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and LA Waterkeeper. The settlement funds support home retrofits and green streets projects to capture rainfall, recharge groundwater and reduce polluted runoff from being purged into our rivers and ocean in neighborhoods with high climate-risk.… Read more >>

Growing “Calles Verdes”: Restoring the Pacoima Wash

Nothing inspires me more than seeing people come together to make change.

Over the past couple months, TreePeople has worked to restore the Pacoima Wash with the help of our volunteers and the City of San Fernando. When we started, the area was overgrown with weeds and littered with trash, but after just a couple visits it already looks like it’s gotten the green treatment!

Did you know that the Pacoima Wash Greenway is also nature-based infrastructure? The 4.7-acre park diverts and cleans runoff from nearby neighborhood streets through a system of built and natural filters into a streambed or “arroyo.” Our recent winter rains has sprung the wash into action to capture and sink rain into the ground.… Read more >>

Working Together for Safer LA Sidewalks

Over the next 30 years, the City of Los Angeles plans to spend $1.4 billion dollars to make our sidewalks more accessible in response to a lawsuit brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Far too many Angelenos struggle just to move around our city. Our broken sidewalks present some of the biggest obstacles for pedestrians — especially for differently-abled Angelenos and older adults and moms. As climate change brings more extreme heat and severe storms, we will need to make sure that our streets are climate safe as well as accessible.… Read more >>

Post-Election Reflections: Turn Fear into Action

Incoming political leaders have shaken our nation and left many people in fear for their families, their livelihoods, and the environment. In recent weeks, we have seen a frightening trend in appointing climate deniers to cabinet positions.

I’m choosing to take my fear and turn it into action.  

Los Angeles’ tree story is not a tragedy. Now is the time to turn the tide on the drought, keep our trees alive, and continue to build a lush and thriving urban tree canopy even when we are faced with adversity.… Read more >>

Progress for LA’s Sidewalks… and Our Trees!

Angelenos need street trees.

They shade us as we travel scorching city sidewalks. They clean our water and protect use from floods in heavy rains. And they bring beauty and pride to our communities.

Trees give us all so much.  

Think about it. Protection from hot sun and water management are part of infrastructure, and cities are responsible for delivering these services. Trees are nature-based solutions for our urban environment that are important investments for our cities to make.

The good news is that if we invest in policies that support our urban forest as a critical piece of LA’s  infrastructure, we’ll help ALL communities in LA become more resilient in the face of climate change.… Read more >>

TreePeople and NRDC: Rain to the Rescue

Though the national election has left us concerned about our climate future, the environment was a clear winner in LA with the passing of Measures M and Measure A providing expanded public transportation and safe park spaces for Angelenos.

LA is taking steps in the right direction to adapt and is supporting the right policies, but some people are asking, “What else can be done?”

TreePeople and NRDC Release Groundbreaking Water Policy Brief

In the face of ongoing drought and climate change impacts, TreePeople partnered with the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) to co-author an issue brief sharing the importance of capturing stormwater to increase California’s local water supply.… Read more >>

Tree Planting Season Is Back!

Summer Tree Care

This summer was not easy for LA’s trees.

We’ve seen the impact these five years of drought have had– and with each heat wave this summer, we lost even more trees. We want trees to live, so in the summer we shift our focus to care for them get through these hotter hots and drier dries.  

That’s why we’re proud to share that this summer, more than 700 TreePeople volunteers joined us to care for almost 2,000 trees!… Read more >>

Have You Spotted These 10 LA Trees?

Time for a quick lesson in dendrology! How many of these trees have you seen around your neighborhood? Here’s the countdown:

10. Bauhinia variegata (Purple orchid tree)

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The Bauhinia variegata is a semi-evergreen tree that is native to Southeast Asia. Not only do the flowers that grow on these trees smell amazing, but they are also used in various foods!

9. Cassia leptophylla (Gold medallion tree)

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The Cassia leptophylla is a semi-evergreen tree with clusters of bright yellow flowers and brown seedpods.… Read more >>

Partnership: How Boeing Helped Us Plant 80,000 Trees

The July day was hot and the sky was smoky from the Sand Fire, but that didn’t stop the 30 dedicated volunteers from Boeing.

“Boeing’s volunteers are known for being some of the hardest workers,and this morning only proved that.”Volunteer Manager Peter Roquemore

Gathering at the Betty Davis Picnic Area of Griffith Park, the volunteers rolled up their sleeves. Their mission: to water nearly 100 newly planted trees. Their work helped ensure that there will still be shade and beauty after drought, water restrictions and insect pests have devastated the park’s tree population.… Read more >>