Skip to content

You are using an outdated browser

Internet Explorer is not supported by this site and Microsfot has stopped releasing updates, therefore you may encounter issues whilst visiting this site and we strongly recommend that you upgrade your browser for modern web functionality, a better user experience and improved security.

Upgrade my browser

Los Angeles’ massive free tree giveaway in bid to plant 90,000 trees by end of 2021

4 min read

Sustainable Planet
Source: LA Times

The project, in which the city is giving free trees to businesses and residents, will build upon what is already the largest urban forest in the US, making what happens in Los Angeles an important model for other cities looking to go green.

LA mayor appoints Forest Officer to “oversee the growth of Los Angeles’ urban forest”

In late April, Los Angeles’ Mayor Eric Garcetti announced his version of a Green New Deal for the city. Among other measures, he mandated that every new city-owned building be all-electric, established a goal to phase out styrofoam, called for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, and, crucially, tasked the city with the goal of planting a staggering 90,000 trees by the end of 2021. The ambitious tree-planting project falls within the remit of the city’s newly-appointed Forest Officer—a job that was created in August to “oversee the growth of Los Angeles’ urban forest” as part of Garcetti’s Green New Deal. 

Mayor Garcetti created the post of City Forest Officer within the Board of Public Works to help implement the urban forestry goals outlined in LA’s Green New Deal. These goals include planting 90,000 trees by 2021 and increasing tree canopy by at least 50% by 2028 in areas with the least shade, which tend to be the City’s hottest, low-income communities.
Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Rachel Malarich as City Forest Officer: Mayor Garcetti created the post of City Forest Officer within the Board of Public Works to help implement the urban forestry goals outlined in LA’s Green New Deal. These goals include planting 90,000 trees by 2021 and increasing tree canopy by at least 50% by 2028 in areas with the least shade, which tend to be the City’s hottest, low-income communities. Source: lamayor.org

LA’s Green New Deal to plant 90,000 trees in the city over two years is a bonus for residents

The city will give away up to seven free yard and/or street trees to qualifying residents. More than two dozen species, from small to large, are listed on the city’s website, with information about their projected height and defining characteristics. Most are drought-tolerant. 

“A family can sit at their computer in their PJs, pick out a tree online and have it delivered to their yard,” LA’s first forest officer, Rachel Malarich told the Los Angeles Times. “All the work is done for them up to the actual planting. But don’t worry. The trees come with stakes, ties and fertilizer pellets, along with easy-to-follow instructions on how to plant them.

Neighbours can get together and request free trees for their street on the City Plants website. “One of our nonprofit partners will come and assess the location,” Malarich said. “If it meets our criteria — enough space between the sidewalk and the road; no low overhead power lines — they will obtain the necessary city permits and plant the trees for them. The neighbors must sign an agreement to water them for at least the first five years.”

Residents who qualify for yard trees must also sign a commitment to water them. The first five years of a tree’s life are the most important. “If you don’t check once a week, the tree could either die or get stressed out and stop growing,” Malarich said. “If you get it past that point, you can slow down on the watering and enjoy your relationship to a living thing as you watch it grow.”

Malarich advises residents to check their tree once a week. “Before you start your weekend, or when you take out the trash, stick your finger in the soil and see if it’s moist 4 inches down,” she said. “If it’s dry, give it 10 to 15 gallons of water; if it’s moist, wait until next week. You can kill a baby tree by over-watering it.”

Source: LATimes

“If you want a street tree in front of your house, all you have to do is sign up and one will appear in a few months; it couldn’t be much easier,” said Elizabeth Skrzat, executive director of City Plants, a public-private partnership funded by the L.A. Department of Water and Power, grants and corporations.
Los Angeles is providing trees for parkways, yards, schools and businesses free to city residents. “If you want a street tree in front of your house, all you have to do is sign up and one will appear in a few months; it couldn’t be much easier,” said Elizabeth Skrzat, executive director of City Plants, a public-private partnership funded by the L.A. Department of Water and Power, grants and corporations. Source: LATimes

LA’s 700,000 street trees can literally help save lives with the shade they offer

Los Angeles’ urban forest — it’s one of the world’s largest — is the city’s premier radiation defense system, shielding people and buildings from growing solar bombardment, as well as steep energy costs. The city’s 700,000 street trees can literally help save lives with the shade they give: among all US national weather events, extreme heat fatalities are often the highest.

Advocates say trees are also an environmental justice issue. A 2008 study by the US Forest Service found that the city’s poorest areas can have bare canopies — as low as 5% coverage, and wealthier neighborhoods have the highest, up to 37%. Those emerald-rich sunshades are proven to trigger lower incidence of asthma, hypertension, diabetes and obesity — among myriad other benefits, according to a 2016 study published in the journal Health & Place about the multiple health benefits of an urban tree canopy.

Source: LATimes

“These trees aren’t just about making our city look pretty– they’re a win for quality of life here in Los Angeles, lowering our energy use, benefiting our air quality, increasing our stormwater capture, and addressing the urban heat island effect head on,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Thousands of saplings lined up in nurseries await planting “These trees aren’t just about making our city look pretty– they’re a win for quality of life here in Los Angeles, lowering our energy use, benefiting our air quality, increasing our stormwater capture, and addressing the urban heat island effect head on,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. Source: LASentinel
“Our mission is to grow a greener future for Los Angeles by engaging Angelenos to plant and care for trees throughout the City—Our Vision: At City Plants, we envision a Los Angeles in which people in every neighborhood have equal access to trees and their benefits: clean air, energy efficiency, better health, cooling shade, and friendlier, more vibrant communities.”
CityPlants: Transforming LA into a more liveable and sustainable city, one tree at a time. “Our mission is to grow a greener future for Los Angeles by engaging Angelenos to plant and care for trees throughout the City—Our Vision: At City Plants, we envision a Los Angeles in which people in every neighborhood have equal access to trees and their benefits: clean air, energy efficiency, better health, cooling shade, and friendlier, more vibrant communities.” Source: CityPlants.org
Make an Impact

Free trees for LA residents! Select the type of tree you’d like and see if you qualify:

Yard Trees: We deliver straight to your door – You plant! Sign up today to receive up to seven free shade trees to plant in your yard, on private property. Street Trees: We plant them for you! Sign up to get street trees planted in the parkway (that space between the sidewalk and the street) in front of your home, apartment, business, or school. CityPlants.org