For the first time in its history, the City of Los Angeles will have a single individual dedicated to overseeing, managing, and expanding the city's urban forest.
Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetii recently selected Rachel Malarich as the new "city forest officer," a post housed within the city's Board of Public Works that will help to implement the city's aggressive urban forestry goals, according to a press release from Garcetti's office. The vision, part of the mayor's municipal Green New Deal framework, envisions planting 90,000 trees in the city by 2021 to improve the city's pedestrian experience, create shade in under-served areas, and help lessen summer cooling loads on homes and businesses.
In a statement praising Malarich's experience, Garcetti said, "Every tree we plant can help stem the tide of the climate crisis, and when we expand our urban forest, we can sow the seeds of a healthier, more sustainable future for communities across our city.”
The city is well known for its majestic palm trees, but Los Angeles is also home to a large urban canopy that helps to make the city's hot, arid climate more habitable for residents. That canopy, however, has been under threat in recent decades, according to a 2017 Los Angeles Times report, as rising temperatures and insect invasions due to global warming, long-term droughts, and a widespread culture of over-pruning and hat-racking trees has decimated the city's urban forest to disastrous effects.
To boot, Los Angeles spends a fraction of what other cities do on its tree canopy. A recent report from CityPlants indicates that Los Angeles budgets roughly $27 per tree per year while New York City and San Francisco spend $60 and $78 per tree, respectively. Los Angeles's last-place status when it comes to trees could be changing, however.
That's because in recent years, as heatwaves and rising temperatures have gripped the world's cities, access to trees and shade has become a core focus for activists and politicians seeking urban equity. It is no coincidence that in cities like Los Angeles, one can often expect a higher degree of tree cover in wealthier areas when compared to minority or low-income neighborhoods. In a city where most tree pruning is handled privately, and access to water comes at a premium, it's easy to see how the neighborhoods that most need trees often are left barren instead. As a result, socially-minded municipal efforts like Garcetti's Urban Forest Management plan have begun to play a role in some cities' Green New Deal-related initiatives.
It is a concern that Malarich, who previously headed L.A.'s nonprofit tree planting organization TreePeople, knows and appreciates. In a statement, Malarich said, “Trees do more than contribute to the look and feel of our neighborhoods—they are a key tool to protect vulnerable populations, improve public health, and enhance community well-being for all Angelenos.”
As a result, Malarich aims to focus tree-planting efforts in the city's low-income and underserved neighborhoods. According to LAist, the plan, if implemented as currently articulated, could bring over 61.3 million square feet of shade to the city's neighborhoods when the trees reach maturity.
Agree with Frac, ficuses are the tree equivalent of LA blight. it’s an ugly tree. But more importantly they grow so big to the point that the city ends up lopping off their heads making everything look even worse. Surely there are beautiful lush green trees that don’t uproot sidewalks, and grow tall but not out as to require chainsaw maintenence.
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Yay plant more trees! just not the fucking ficus in the first foto. it lifts sidewalks and disrupts accessibility for our differently-abled angelinos.
Sad!
Agree with Frac, ficuses are the tree equivalent of LA blight. it’s an ugly tree. But more importantly they grow so big to the point that the city ends up lopping off their heads making everything look even worse. Surely there are beautiful lush green trees that don’t uproot sidewalks, and grow tall but not out as to require chainsaw maintenence.
I don't agree that the tree is ugly, but the problems it causes outweigh any pedantic debates about beauty.
This is awesome and sorely needed news. The lack of shade trees is literally one of the three reasons I chose to spend my adult years elsewhere. Will be lovely to see this addressed in my lifetime!
Hope you didn't move to SF, the lack of street trees is a huge detriment to The City.
Garcetti's a mindless, publicity-sucking hack, but this is a good move. Accidents happen, even happy ones. Go, trees!
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