Planning for Trees in Los Angeles

Made up of trees on both public and private lands, the urban forest is an essential part of a healthy, thriving, and resilient community. When spread equitably and supported by other urban greening measures, a well-managed urban forest throughout Los Angeles County can deliver a wide range of benefits, such as healthier soils, biodiversity, habitats, shading from heat, and greater community health and well-being.

The County of Los Angeles Chief Sustainability Office (CSO) is leading the effort to develop an Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP) which is a blueprint that will guide the planting of new trees and the protection of mature trees throughout the region. OurCounty, L.A. County's Sustainability Plan, calls for the development of the UFMP to ensure a climate-appropriate, healthy urban tree canopy that is equitably distributed. A key goal for the UFMP is to address inequities in the distribution of trees and tree canopy as well as the benefits they offer. Research shows that lower-income neighborhoods and communities of color often have less tree canopy.

The CSO has been working with the City of Los Angeles to host 50 public workshops so that residents can help shape plans to better manage trees in their communities. For L.A. County residents, please visit this calendar to find a workshop near you. Also, community members are encouraged to a complete a survey about what they would like to see in their neighborhood when it comes to trees. In this article, Erin Stone discusses the current outreach efforts and explains what the workshops are like, including some of the public input provided at a meeting recently held at El Sereno Library.