Climate Gardening: Cultivating Resilient Landscapes in Los Angeles

The 4th Annual Los Angeles Urban Soil Symposium, hosted by TreePeople on March 7, 2025, brought together over 130 environmental practitioners to explore how landscapes can be reimagined in the face of climate change. Centered on the theme of Climate Gardening, the symposium examined the intersection of ecology, community, and land management. Discussions focused on how native plants, fungi, and green infrastructure can build resilience, particularly in areas impacted by events like the recent LA fires.

The event emphasized collaboration over conventional presentations, fostering connections between researchers, policymakers, and nonprofit leaders. Attendees explored TreePeople’s urban soils research and viewed informative posters from a variety of contributors. Examples of presentations included UCLA’s Kirsten Schwarz on democratizing soil testing post-wildfires and TreePeople’s own team advocating for circular soil systems that repurpose construction sediment into healthy, usable soil.

Beyond the science, the symposium encouraged attendees to reflect on their personal and philosophical approaches to land stewardship. An interactive art installation, The Mosaic Machine, prompted participants to consider how traditional, modern, ecological, or agrarian landscaping choices affect local watersheds. The momentum and ideas sparked at this year’s symposium suggest a promising path forward—where Climate Gardening helps reshape LA’s urban fabric into one that’s greener, healthier, and more adaptive to the changing climate.