Numerous Network groups will be utilizing urban greening project funds to develop green space at several schools and schoolyards in California by replacing asphalt and concrete with permeable surfaces, bioswales, low mow/low maintenance grasses, gardens, native landscaping, understory and shade trees. Award recipients included the LA Conservation Corps, Hollywood Beautification Team and the Sacramento Tree Foundation.

In addition, TreePeople and North East Trees joined the LA Conservation Corps in securing planning grants that will support urban greening planning for Baldwin Hills, La Brea, Downtown San Pedro, Inglewood, and Lennox.

Finally, Urban Tree Foundation partnered with the City of Visalia and the City of Hanford to restore portions of Mill Creek, and plant street trees in downtown Hanford, respectively.

In total, six Network groups picked up 10 urban greening grants totaling almost $4.6 million, or more than 22%, of the entire pot for available in this grant cycle.

The final awards approved by SGC last week in the 2011-12 grant cycle for Network Groups are as follows:

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• Supported 17 significant urban forestry projects that provided California with 72,000 workforce hours supporting 140 jobs,
• Delivered important education to nonprofits and community organizations through our newsletter and annual conference,
• Sponsored successful legislation designating March 7 – 14 of every year as California Arbor Week, and
• Joined Network members to support legislation that extended the prevailing wage exception for volunteers through 2016.

Our Network members:

• Planted over 53,000 trees,
• Cared for over 122,000 trees,
• Held over 1,400 outreach events, and
• Engaged over 31,000 volunteers.

To read more about our work in 2011, download a copy of our annual report here. To help us continue the success of urban and community forestry in California, donate here.

image by Marci Stenberg courtesy of Merced Sun-Star

Planning for the new Felix Torres Family Farmworker housing complex, home to many migrant workers in Planada, started in 2003. Because of the economic downturn, construction didn’t start until 2010 and even then the project’s budget had been so severely cut that none of the planned landscaping could be implemented. Tree Partners Foundation, a California ReLeaf Network member, stepped in to make sure the residents wouldn’t be left without the benefits of trees.

More than 200 trees were donated by Tree Partners and the Merced Irrigation District. Initially, this donation is estimated at $10,000. Over time, the trees will save complex residents even more in saved energy costs.

To read more about the donation and planting event, visit the Merced Sun-Star.

Corpsmembers relax after a bountiful day cleaning up the Tule River corridor.

The SCC is composed of disadvantaged youth, ages 18-24. Most of these young people cannot compete in the job market. Some have not finished high school. Others have criminal records. CSET and the SCC provide these young adults with job training and placement, as well as assistance to corps members for earning their high school diplomas. They have provided over 4,000 young adults with job training and educational opportunities over the past 20 years.

Some of the SCC’s original projects included trail maintenance and development in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Their work in some of the nation’s most impressive forests naturally progressed into opportunities to bring the forest to the urban areas CSET served. SCC’s first urban forestry projects were in partnership with the Urban Tree Foundation.

The two organizations still work hand-inhand to plant trees today. The majority of these projects focus on unused riparian strips where native oaks and understory plants are placed along new hiking trails cut by SCC members. These trails provide a green escape in an area that would otherwise remain unused, and offer residents and visitors alike a glimpse into what the benefits of a strong environmental education program can mean for the region’s and its at-risk youth.

While many community members enjoy the beauty of these areas, many don’t realize the additional benefits CSET provides the community through its urban forestry program. The green trails capture storm water, increase wildlife habitat, and improve air quality in a region consistently ranked as one of the worst in the nation for smog and ozone pollution.

CSET continues its efforts to increase visibility on the tangible benefits of its project through a variety of tools and resources. One such resource is the federal grant secured by CEST in 2010 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These funds which are administered by California ReLeaf are supporting a multi-faceted project in which members of the SCC will be working to restore a native Valley Oak riparian forest along a creek that is currently devoid of vegetation while also improving Visalia’s urban forestry streetscape. The project brings the added benefit of significant job creation to a county with a 12% unemployment rate as of October, 2011.

“I had a revelation that, even though the people in these communities only live 45 minutes from some of the best national parks in the country, many of them can’t afford to make the short trip to see the parks. The urban forest brings nature to people where they are,” says Higgins.

He hasn’t only witnessed how urban forestry can change communities, but also how it can change individuals. When asked for examples of what SCC does for Corps members, Nathan is quick to respond with stories of three young men whose lives he’s seen transformed.

The three stories all start the same way – a young man who joined the SCC with little opportunity to better his life. One started as a crew member and has been promoted to crew supervisor, leading other young men and women to better their lives just as he has. Another is now working with the City of Visalia Park and Recreation Department as an intern doing park maintenance. His internship will hopefully turn into a paid position as funding becomes available.

Urban Forestry corpsmembers ‘greening’ our urban spaces.These young Valley Oaks will live for hundreds of years and provide shade and beauty for generations.

The most compelling of the three stories though is that of Jacob Ramos. At 16-years old, he was found guilty of a felony charge. Afterhis conviction and time served, he found it nearly impossible to find a job. At CSET, he earned his high school diploma and proved himself as one of the most dedicated workers in the SCC. This year, CSET opened a for-profit subsidiary that does weatherization work. Because of his extensive training completed with the Corps, Jacob now has a job there.

Each year, CSET plants over 1,000 trees, creates accessible hiking trails, and employs 100-150

young people. More than that, it has gone above and beyond its mission to strengthen youth, families, and communities in Tulare County. CSET and the SCC are a reminder of what can be accomplished for our environment and future generations through partnership and perseverance.

The $750,000 grant to this San Jose-based non-profit will implement the initial phase of Our City Forest’s 100K Trees Project — an initiative to plant 100,000 trees throughout the city. Project work includes galvanizing citywide support, providing urban forestry outreach and education and creating a job training program for about 200 at-risk young people. In addition, the grant will support the planting of 4,000 trees and the pruning of an additional 4,000 trees.

Finally, the grant includes funding to assist the start up of a tree nursery where Our City Forest will soon begin cultivating up to 5,000 trees annually on donated land.

Fast Facts for the Our City Forest ARRA Grant

Jobs created: 21

Jobs Retained: 2

Trees Planted: 1,076

Trees Maintained: 3,323

Job Hours Contributed to 2010 Work Force: 11,440

Lasting legacy: Once completed, this project will have provided critical training in the green jobs sector for Bay Area at-risk youth while also creating a healthier, cleaner, and more livable environment for both San Jose residents and visitors.

In addition to helping low-income neighborhoods with such benefits as cleaner air and shade, the job training component of this program will ultimately impact the high unemployment rate in San José, where it remains at over 12 percent.

– Misty Mersich, Program Manager, Our City Forest.

March 7 – 14 is California Arbor Week.  Urban and community forests play a vital role in our lives.  They filter rainwater and store carbon.  They feed and shelter birds and other wildlife.  They shade and cool our homes and neighborhoods, saving energy.  Maybe best of all, they form a living green canopy, contributing to our health and well-being, raising our quality of life.

This March you have a chance to get involved in your own neighborhood forest.  California Arbor Week is a time to plant trees, volunteer in your community, and learn about the forest where you live.  By planting trees in your own yard, caring for trees in your local parks, or attending a community greening workshop, you can make a difference.

For more information, or to find an event near you, please visit www.arborweek.org

Local children help to plant a tree on Arbor Day.

During its 10 years of operation, the foundation has planted over 2,100 trees in this Tree City USA northwest of Sacramento. Wilkinson is a historian and says Woodland got its name because it grew out of an oak forest. Wilkinson and the foundation want to preserve that heritage.

The all-volunteer group works with the city to plant trees downtown and replace aging trees. Twenty years ago, there were almost no trees in the downtown area. In 1990, the city planted three or four blocks of trees. Since 2000, when the Woodland Tree Foundation was created, they have been adding trees.

Roots in Tree Protection

Although the city and foundation work hand-in-hand today, the foundation actually grew out of a lawsuit against the city over a road widening project that was going to destroy a row of 100-year old olive trees. Wilkinson was on the city tree commission. He and a group of citizens sued the city to stop the removal.

They eventually settled out of court, and the city agreed to move the olive trees. Unfortunately, they were not cared for properly and they died.

“The silver lining is that the incident inspired me and a group of people to form a non-profit tree foundation,” said Wilkinson. “A year later we successfully procured our first grant from the California Department of Forestry.”

Because of budget cuts, the city is now encouraging the foundation to take on even more responsibility.

“In the past, the city did a lot of marking and service alerts for underground and utility lines,” said Wes Schroeder, city arborist. “That is very time consuming, and we’re helping the foundation phase that in.”

When old trees need to be replaced, the city grinds out the stumps and adds new soil. Then it gives the locations to the foundation to replace trees.

“We would probably do a lot fewer plantings without the foundation,” said Schroeder.

Working with Neighboring Communities

Volunteers proudly stand beside the 2,000th tree planted by WTF.

The foundation is also getting a lot of assistance from tree groups from two neighboring cities, Sacramento Tree Foundation and Tree Davis. In October and November, the two organizations got grants and chose to work with the Woodland Tree Foundation to plant trees in Woodland.

“Hopefully they’ll become team leaders in our towns when we do plantings,” said Keren Costanzo, new executive director of Tree Davis. “We’re trying to increase collaboration among the organizations and pool our resources.”

The Woodland Tree Foundation is also working with Tree Davis to plant trees along Highway 113 which joins the two cities.

“We’ve adopted seven miles along the highway,” said Wilkinson. “It was just completed 15 years ago and had very few trees.”

The foundation has been planting there for eight years, using mostly oaks and some redbuds and pistache.

“Tree Davis was planting on their end, and they taught us how to do it on our end, how to grow seedlings from acorns and buckhorn seeds,” said Wilkinson.

Early in 2011 the two groups will join to plant trees between the two towns.

“In the next five years, we’ll probably have trees all along the corridor. I think it will be pretty fabulous as years go by.”

Interestingly enough, the two cities first planned to join their towns with trees back in 1903, according to Wilkinson. A women’s civic club in Woodland, in response to Arbor Day, joined with a similar group in Davis to plant palm trees.

“Palm trees were the rage. The California tourism bureau wanted to create a tropical feel so easterners would be thrilled to come out to California.”

The project fizzled out, but the area still has palm trees that were planted in that era.

Woodland Tree Foundation volunteers plant trees in downtown Woodland.

Modern Day Success

The Woodland Tree Foundation has received grants from California ReLeaf, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and PG&E (the latter to make sure the proper trees are grown under power lines). The foundation has a list of 40 or 50 volunteers who help with three or four plantings a year, mostly in the fall and on Arbor Day. Students from UC Davis and boys and girl scouts have helped.

Recently a woman in town who has a family charitable trust contacted the foundation. She was impressed by the foundation’s track record and volunteer spirit.

“She is interested in making Woodland a more walkable, shady city,” said Wilkinson. “She has offered us a major gift to pay for a three-year strategic plan and funds to hire our first ever paid part-time coordinator. This will enable Woodland Tree Foundation to reach deeper into the community.”

Wilkinson believes the foundatio

n is leaving an incredible tree legacy.

“A lot of us feel what we’re doing is special. Trees need care, and we’re leaving them better for the next generation.”

Woodland Tree Foundation

Community members gather to help plant trees.

Year founded: 2000

Joined Network: 2004

Board Members: 14

Staff: None

Projects include

: Downtown & other in-fill street plantings and waterings, an Arbor Day event, and plantings along Highway 113

Website: http://groups.dcn.org/wtf

The $167,000 grant for UCSDC’s Woods to the Hoods project will allow the Urban Corps to plant about 400 trees in three low-income, high-crime, and severely underserved Redevelopment Areas within San Diego. Combined, the three areas — Barrio Logan, City Heights and San Ysidro – represent mixed-use neighborhoods of light industrial businesses and homes, near ship repair facilities and shipyards; and one of the busiest border crossings in the world, with more than 17 million vehicles crossing daily between the U.S. and Mexico.

Corps members will not only be gaining valuable on-the-job training as part of this project, but will also be working closely with the people and businesses in the targeted neighborhoods with the goal of improving air quality, adding shade and enhancing the livability of these areas.

Fast Facts for the UCSDC ARRA Grant

Jobs created: 7

Jobs retained: 1

Trees Planted: 400

Trees Maintained: 100

Job Hours Contributed to 2010 Work Force: 3,818

Lasting legacy: Once completed, this project will have provided critical training in the green jobs sector for young adults while also creating a healthier, cleaner, and more livable environment for both San Diego residents and visitors.

“In addition to the benefits of trees in mitigating pollution and beautifying an area, tree planting and the care and maintenance of trees is a wonderful way for neighbors to come together in support of their communities.” – Sam Lopez, Director of Operations, Urban Corps of San Diego County.

The Greater Modesto Tree Foundation owes its origins to a French photographer who came to town in 1999 wanting to photograph the largest and most unique trees. He had a contract with Fuji Film and had heard about Modesto’s fame as a Tree City.

Chuck Gilstrap, who became the foundation’s first president, recalls the story. Gilstrap, then the city’s superintendent of urban forestry, and Peter Cowles, director of public works, took the photographer around to shoot trees.

Later when Gilstrap was helping the photographer get ready to leave town, the photographer said in very broken English, “How can we plant a tree for every baby born in the world for the year 2000?”

Gilstrap mentioned the conversation to Cowles, who said, “Even though we couldn’t plant a tree for every child born in 2000, maybe we could do it for every child born in Modesto.”

Parents and grandparents loved the idea. A year later, thanks to a federal Millennium Green grant and hundreds of volunteers, the fledgling group had planted 2,000 trees (because it was the year 2000) along a mile-and-a-half stretch of Dry Creek Regional Park Riparian Basin, a tributary of the Tuolomne River that runs through the southern part of town.

The organization applied for non-profit status soon after and continued its “Trees for Tots” program. Trees for Tots continues to be the largest tree planting program organized by the foundation, with more than 4,600 Valley Oaks planted to date. The funding comes from California ReLeaf grants.

Kerry Elms, GMTF's President, plants a tree at a Stanislaus Shade Tree Partnership event in 2009.

6,000 Trees

In the 10 years of its existence, the Greater Modesto Tree Foundation has planted over 6,000 trees, according to current president Kerry Elms (perhaps an appropriate name).

“We are an all-volunteer group and, except for an insurance policy and the cost of maintaining our web site, all donations and membership fees are used to provide trees for our various programs,” he said. “All work related to our projects is performed by our members and community volunteers. We have a large number of groups (Boy and Girl Scouts, schools, churches, civic groups and many other volunteers) that assist with planting and other efforts. Our volunteers have totaled over 2,000 since we began.”

Elms said they never have trouble getting volunteers. Youth groups are especially encouraged to get involved. The City of Modesto is a strong partner in many of the foundation’s planting projects.

Stanislaus Shade Tree Partnership

The foundation plants nearly 40 trees five times a year as part of the Stanislaus Shade Tree Partnership, which plants shade trees in low income neighborhoods. From its beginning, the organization has created wonderful partnerships, and this project is done in conjunction with the Modesto Irrigation District (MID), the Sheriff’s Department, Police Department, City Urban Forestry Division and many volunteers.

The foundation sends out its arborist a week before the planting to make sure the tree size and site are appropriate (not on the north side or too close to the homes). MID buys the trees And the Sheriff’s Department delivers them. Each home can receive up to five trees.

“The reason MID is supporting this effort is that if the trees are planted appropriately, they will shade the home, causing a 30 percent energy savings with less air conditioning needed in the hot summer months,” said Ken Hanigan, public benefits coordinator for MID. “We have found that the homeowner needs to have an invested interest and then the family will have more of a tendency to maintain the trees. Therefore, the family is required to dig the holes.

“It is a feat of love and community effort that is just amazing,” Hanigan said.

Memorial Plantings

The foundation makes it possible for memorial or living testimonial trees to be planted in honor of friends or family. The foundation provides the tree and a certificate and helps the donor to select the variety and location of the tree. The donors provide the funding.

Greater Modesto Tree Foundation volunteers plant a tree during Jewish Arbor Day festivities.

These dedications are heart warming for the donors, and they can have interesting backgrounds. Elms recounted a recent planting on a golf course. A group of men had played golf for many years on the course and when one of the members died, the others decided to honor him by replacing a tree that had fallen on the course after the flood of 1998. The spot they chose was right on the turn of a fairway that had always been in the way of the golfers. When the tree is grown, many other golfers will be challenged by that tree.

Grow Out Center

In an effort to grow their own trees, the foundation has collaborated with the Sheriff’s Department Honor Farm, which trains low-risk offenders to plant and care for seedlings until they are large enough to plant.

The foundation also distributes and plants trees on Earth Day, Arbor Day and Jewish Arbor Day.

Modesto has been a Tree City for 30 years, and the community takes pride in its urban forest. But, as in all California cities, Modesto has been under severe financial stress for the last several years and no longer has the staff or funding for some of its park and tree maintenance.

The Greater Modesto Tree Foundation and its many volunteers try to fill the gap where they can.

Donna Orozco is a freelance writer based in Visalia, California.