Urban Forestry in L.A. Explained

Los Angeles County has inventoried their trees and devised a strategy for fostering an urban canopy. Park planner Clement Lau explains.

3 minute read

August 28, 2016, 7:00 AM PDT

By wadams92101


Los Angeles Skyline with houses

belboo / Flickr

An urban forest is the collection of trees, plants, and vegetation found along a city’s streets, within parks, and in the built environment. Urban forest are increasingly recognized as important for a variety of functions including sequestering green house gases, filtering airborne pollutants, moderating urban temperatures—including the "heat island" effect, reducing stormwater runoff, increasing walkability, and even improving the psychological and social environment of cities.  

Los Angeles County, went beyond the 

. . . traditional scope of work and the boundaries of existing parks by including analyses and recommendations on urban greening and urban forestry community-wide.  While we certainly wanted to increase the number and acreage of parks in these communities, we also realized that: 1) the opportunities to do so are limited given the scarcity of available land and funding; and 2) our end goal is to improve the quality of life for residents, not just to create parks.  To accomplish this goal, we needed to look at the communities in their entirety and seek to make all the neighborhoods (not just the parks) greener, more attractive, more shaded, more walkable, and safer.

The County Parks Department first needed to what it already had so it  

. . . applied for and received a CalFIRE grant to complete a tree inventory in all of the existing parks in the communities.  Data from the inventory was used to create a database within a tool called iTrees Streets, which is a street tree management and analysis tool that uses tree inventory data to assign dollar values to energy savings, carbon monoxide reduction, air quality improvements, stormwater control, and property value increase.  The tool is free and was developed by a team of researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, Davey Tree Service, and the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).  Each of the Community Parks and Recreation Plans contains the following information about trees in County parks:  species composition, age composition, estimated benefits provided by the trees in dollar value, the general condition of the trees, necessary maintenance, and potential conflicts with existing infrastructure.  

The county then made this information available in its outreach efforts in the development of Community Parks and Recreation Plans for six communities identified as park poor: 

Each plan contains a section addressing the urban forest, and includes strategies for enhancing the urban forest not only in the parks, but along key corridors, as part of pocket forests, and on freeway buffer sites.  Although many residents were excited about the aesthetic and environmental benefits of new trees, some were also concerned about public safety and how the introduction of new trees might limit views and provide hiding spaces for illicit activity.  The plans took into consideration these concerns by helping residents pick trees that would provide environmental benefits, while acknowledging public safety concerns and recommending trees with high branching patterns, minimal leaf litter, and faster growth rates.  Conversations with community members and recommendations of the plans make these communities poised and ready for the expansion of their urban forests.

For more about L.A. County's urban forestry program, please see the source article. 

Tuesday, August 23, 2016 in UrbDeZine

Sweeping view of Portland, Oregon with Mt. Hood in background against sunset sky.

Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary

Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.

March 12, 2024 - Housing Wire

Aerial view of green roofs with plants in Sydney, Australia.

Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024

A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.

March 10, 2024 - Daily Journal of Commerce

Cobblestone street with streetcar line, row of vintage streetlights on left, and colorful restaurant and shop awnings on right on River Street in Savannah, Georgia.

Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts

From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.

March 12, 2024 - Strong Towns

Aerial View of Chuckanut Drive and the Blanchard Bridge in the Skagit Valley.

Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding

The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.

March 18 - The Seattle Times

Historic buildings in downtown Los Angeles with large "Pan American Lofts" sign on side of building.

Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly

The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.

March 18 - Beverly Press

View from above of swan-shaped paddleboats with lights on around artesian fountain in Echo Park Lake with downtown Los Angeles skylien in background at twilight.

LA's Top Parks, Ranked

TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.

March 18 - TimeOut

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.