Tree Canopy coverage can vary dramatically between communities (Photo – TreePeople)
The initiative is focused on combating extreme heat in high-need communities.
By Wes Reutimann
In partnership with the US Forest Service and with grant funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), TreePeople has launched a community forestry project designed to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis and build community resilience in historically underserved communities across southern California.
Over the course of the next three years, TreePeople, the fifty year old non-profit organization, will partner with local governments and organizations to plant 3,650 public trees and distribute 4,100 residential fruit and shade trees. Within the San Gabriel Valley, 1,000 trees will be planted in street parkways and other public spaces like parks. 2,000 fruit trees will be distributed at no cost to the public, supporting local food production and improving community access to affordable, fresh produce.
SGV focus communities include the cities of Baldwin Park, El Monte, South El Monte, and La Puente. Each is classified as “disadvantaged” according to environmental vulnerability tools like California’s CalEnviroScreen 4.0 and the federal Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. With limited green spaces and tree canopy coverage, these communities are particularly susceptible to the increasing threat of extreme heat.
The stakes are high. Heat is responsible for more fatalities in the United States than any other weather event.
“Extreme heat is already a crisis in communities like those in the Northeast San Fernando Valley, where temperatures are up to six degrees higher than surrounding affluent areas. Tree canopy is crucial to cooling urban centers and saving lives. Our goal is to plant trees, build community resilience, and empower residents to take control of their environment,” said Marcos Trinidad, TreePeople’s Senior Director of Programs.
Hundreds of volunteers will be needed to implement the community forestry project, with the first public tree planting event scheduled for Saturday, November 23rd. To sign up, or for more info on upcoming opportunities to plant and care for trees, visit TreePeople’s volunteer page: treepeople.org/volunteer.
Gabe the Sasquatch is a proponent of planting trees in the SGV (Photo – ActiveSGV)
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