Make Your Voices Heard: Urban Forest…Stand Up for Trees

Did you know that you actually live in an urban forest? 

An urban forest is made up of a network of publicly and privately-owned trees and forests in and around cities. At its core, the urban forest connects, nourishes and optimizes the health and functionality of the city and those who dwell in it.

Unfortunately, LA’s urban forest is often seen by some as merely street trees or parks that simply add beauty. Therefore, the real value of the urban forest is not fully recognized so it does not receive enough funding, protections, or maintenance it needs to thrive and protect the lives and health of all Angelenos.… Read more >>

These Heat Waves Kill

They say some like it hot, but as the first significant heat wave of the season hits this week, many Angelenos will wish it was winter.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year extreme heat causes more deaths in the United States than all other weather-related causes combined. In LA, the average five-day heat wave results in 4.1% more deaths than cooler weather on the first day, and 11.9% more on the fifth day.

Realistically, the coming heat event will result in some Angelenos going to the emergency room…and others dying at home.… Read more >>

Turning the Tides on LA’s Forest and Water Future

At TreePeople, creating and driving policy is critical to our impact.

Energized by victories on the $4 billion State Park Bond and the Residential Stormwater Property Tax Incentive and over $20 million of funding for urban forestry at both state and city levels, we’re accelerating our determination to transform people’s relationship with water and City’s urban forestry approach to people.

TreePeople’s leadership at the city, county and state levels continues to result in innovative and transformative changes. TreePeople is a trusted voice on environmental issues – we educate policymakers and shape laws, programs and budgets that support healthy forests, capture needed water and result in more climate-ready communities.… Read more >>

TreePeople & LA Take a Giant Step Toward Resilience

“Resilience is a value that guides everything we do in Los Angeles, because we know that the decisions we make today will shape the future our children and grandchildren will inherit. The Resilient Los Angeles plan will help us strengthen our infrastructure, protect our economy, make our institutions more inclusive, and create safer neighborhoods.”
– Mayor Eric Garcetti

Last month, the City of LA took a big step toward becoming more climate-ready when it published its first-ever Resilience Strategy. The strategy is part of the global 100 Resilient Cities effort pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation.… Read more >>

I Am TreePeople: Yujuan Chen

Los Angeles is on the cusp of something big. Every day, more and more Angelenos are waking up to the threats climate change and extreme heat bring to life in the city.

For over 40 years, TreePeople has committed itself to fighting for a greener and healthier Los Angeles. From Watts to the Santa Monica Mountains, TreePeople has planted over 3 million trees in partnership with millions of Angelenos, but planting trees is only the start. Our Policy & Research department tackles the tough issues facing our climate reality– from securing a safe, local water supply, to working to creating an Urban Forestry Master Plan– and makes sure the voices of the people reach not only the halls of power in Downtown LA, but to Sacramento and beyond.  … Read more >>

Cooling LA to Save Lives

How do you cope with heat waves? Do you go swimming? Go to the movies? Crank up the air conditioning and stay home?

While these are all great options for most of us, many of these are not available to our fellow Angelenos. Half of LA’s households do not have air conditioning. For some households, turning on the A/C is not always an option when paying for electricity means less money for food or healthcare.

Imagine the people who rely on public transportation– these Angelenos have little to no protection as they fry in the sun on the way to work or school.… Read more >>

Legislative Trifecta Aims to Save CA Trees and Water

California’s urban forests and water had some major wins at the state level this month!

Three measures to expand protections and provide much-needed resources were passed by the legislature and officially signed by Governor Brown. These measures will help our city trees combat the impacts of climate change and create a roadmap for a greener future.

 

CA’s Urban Forestry Act gets a facelift!

Thanks to Assemblywoman Gonzalez-Fletcher and our key partners, California Releaf and the California Urban Forests Council, Assembly Bill 1530 expands the State’s Urban Forestry Act to directly connect urban forestry to stormwater management, social justice, climate-readiness, job creation and more.… Read more >>

TreePeople Fellows Strive to Save Urban Forests

TreePeople is blessed with an array of amazing minds that come through Yurt Village, and this past summer, we had two bright young minds join our Policy & Research Department.

Erik Ndayishimiye and Matthew Stieg were brought on at the beginning of the summer through our fellowship program to work on issues surrounding LA’s urban forest. Both put their talent to work to help support our team offering their unique skills and backgrounds.

Erik hails from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies with a newly completed Master’s Degree in Environmental Management while Matthew is about to finish his senior year at the University of Michigan where he studies Mathematics and Statistics.… Read more >>

ACTION ALERT: Make Your Voice Heard. Protect our City’s Trees!

Angelenos, a huge opportunity exists right now for you to take action to protect our City’s urban forest!

Did you know, the City of LA has launched a 30-year sidewalk repair program? This was triggered by a city settlement that secured more than $1.4 billion to make our sidewalks more accessible for all Angelenos. TreePeople has since championed the protection of our urban trees throughout this process. Our work on this effort, along with our partners, has led to an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to determine the impacts of the sidewalk replacement citywide–this includes the impacts to our urban forest!… Read more >>

#CoolMyCity: LA’s Urban Cooling Collaborative

LA just increased its coolness factor by $320,000!

On the heels of a sweltering summer, the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council of the U.S. Forest Service awarded the Los Angeles Urban Cooling Collaborative (LAUCC), a national partnership led by TreePeople, a $320,000 grant to fund life-saving urban heat research.

The LAUCC is a unique national partnership between nonprofit groups, universities, government agencies and other experts with a goal to create neighborhood-by-neighborhood prescriptions against heat. The Collaborative is developing the most effective dose of trees plus reflective roofs and surfaces in order to save lives and make LA more livable, both today and in tomorrow’s changing climate.… Read more >>