By Ashley Archibald, Santa Monica Daily Press

DIGGING IN: Boy Scout Troop 2 creates an urban forest out of a small strip of land Saturday as part of a national carbon trading initiative. photo by Brandon Wise.

A stand of young California sycamores, supported by poles nearly as tall as the trees themselves, line what used to be a dilapidated asphalt pad, sentinels against the waves of invisible chemicals and particulates emanating from the cars below.

The trees represent the intersection of national policy and local achievement as part of both a federal pilot project to study the carbon sequestering potential of the urban forest and the culmination of one Santa Monican’s journey to attain the highest title available to him — Eagle Scout.

Josh Lappen, 17, stumbled upon the planting project through hard work and luck.

Lappen has been a member of Santa Monica’s Boy Scout Troop 2 since he was in seventh grade. That’s several years of knot tying, fire starting and learning to canoe, a specialty of Troop 2.

At the end of the parade of merit badges comes not a new turn, but a mountain — choose to take on the six-month process of elevating to Eagle Scout or simply content oneself with a job well done.

Amongst a host of other requirements, prospective Eagle Scouts have to commit themselves to accomplishing a project for the community. Although there are no hard and fast rules on what the project must entail, they usually contribute something meant to last and consume over 100 hours of effort on the part of the applicant.

Lappen was struggling. He knew he wanted to contribute something to the outdoors that had an emphasis on the environment and sustainability, but hit only dead ends.

“I looked originally at trail building,” Lappen said. “One of the things I especially love about Boy Scouts are the outdoor activities.”

But when he picked up the phone to call a state park and offer free manual labor, no one answered. Budget cuts had taken their toll on the park system to the point that Lappen couldn’t find anyone to even hear his proposal.

“Now that’s a story,” Lappen said.

A multitude of contacts later, Lappen hit upon the city of Santa Monica and contacted City Forester Walt Warriner.

Warriner, it so happened, had an idea.

City Hall signed up with the United States Forest Service to take part in a pilot project that could eventually earn carbon credits by planting 1,000 trees that remove carbon from the air.

Carbon credits are an interesting invention of the capitalist system that puts a value on the amount of carbon dioxide and other green house gases that a company or entity emits. Exchanges, similar to the New York Stock Exchange, allow polluting companies or industries to buy credits so they can effectively produce more pollution.

At the other end of the transaction is another group that promises to either reduce its own emissions or actively remove carbon from the air.

The 1,000 trees being planted in Santa Monica will remove green house gases from the air and eventually make City Hall a player in that market.

Through a grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Warriner had the trees and the space, a vegetation-free asphalt strip backed up against a safety fence. Lappen offered him the labor.

“This project was completely up my alley,” Lappen said. “It was everything I could have thought of, wanted or dreamed of in a planting project.”

At the end of February, municipal teams cleaned up the site, removing the cap of concrete and prepping for the eventual planting.

On April 28, the day after National Arbor Day, Lappen and a host of volunteers were ready to get the trees in the ground.

Popular culture holds that it’s difficult to get teenagers to do anything at 8 a.m. except hit a snooze button, but as the clock wound up Saturday morning, the team of teens gathered where 22nd Street meets Michigan Avenue, shovels in hand.

The process is technically simple — dig a hole as deep as the root ball on the end of the young tree and approximately twice as wide. Place the tree inside the hole, and fill it in with soil, but not too high to invite crown rot to the new plant.

Tie the sycamore to stakes placed immediately to the sides, and a tree is planted. Repeat between 19 and 24 more times.

That’s hard work, particularly getting the stakes in the ground, which requires a heavy piece of metal placed on top of the stake that a person lifts and then lets fall, driving the pole downward.

“A day of planting trees is a workout,” Warriner said, watching the young men and women attack the ground with shovels.

In 10 years, with thoughtful care and pruning, the trees will grow to 20 or 30 feet in height, just below the power lines that stretch over the site. Over the course of the next century, Santa Monica officials have committed to monitoring the trees’ growth and reporting back to the Forest Service for use in their studies.

But it’s in two decades that the newly-planted sycamores will have their greatest impact.

“Twenty years from now, these kids will be driving their kids to school,” Warriner said. “They’ll be able to tell their kids, ‘I planted those trees.’ There’s an immense amount of pride in that.”

“By dedicating his professional life to effective urban forestry and providing vital tree maintenance through strong leadership and strategic policy, Joe Benassini serves as model for tree care professionals,” said John Rosenow, founder and chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation.

Since 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has recognized the work of leading environmental stewards and tree planters through the annual Arbor Day Awards. To learn more about the awards and this year’s recipients, you can read the full press release here.

Special celebrations highlight the importance of trees to California

Sacramento, Calif. – California Arbor Week will be celebrated throughout California March 7-14 to highlight the importance of trees to communities by improving air quality, water conservation, economic vitality, individual health and the ambiance of residential and commercial neighborhoods.

Organizations ranging from city tree foundations, nature groups, cities, schools and youth organizations are preparing to plant thousands of trees in every corner of the state as a commitment to green space and community well being.

“Over 94% of Californian’s live in urban areas.” said Joe Liszewski, Executive Director for California ReLeaf, the organization spearheading California Arbor Week activities. “Trees make California’s cities and towns better. It’s that simple. Everyone can do their part to plant and care for trees ensuring that they are a resource long into the future.”

California ReLeaf is an alliance of community-based groups, individuals, industry, and government agencies working to protect the environment by planting and caring for trees, and the state’s urban and community forests.  California ReLeaf works in partnership with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the state agency’s Urban Forestry Program is responsible for leading the effort to advance the development of sustainable urban and community forests in California.

Research shows that trees clear pollution from the air, catch significant rainwater, add to property values, cut energy use, increase commercial activity, reduce stress, improve neighborhood safety and enhance recreation opportunities.

California Arbor Week runs March 7-14 every year. Visit www.arborweek.org for more information.

The coast redwoods are the tallest trees in the world; one reaching over 379 feet tall grows in Redwood National and State Parks.

One giant sequoia, the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, is over 274 feet high and more than 102 feet in circumference at its base; it is widely considered to be the world’s largest tree in overall volume.

“Tu Bishvat is a good reminder of our connection to the Earth,” says David Krantz, president and chairman of the Green Zionist Alliance, a Jewish environmental group. “We have a symbiotic relationship with trees, but we tend to forget that. Humans and trees are dependent on each other. When we harm trees, we harm ourselves.”

In that spirit, many see Tu Bishvat as the perfect day to plant a new tree or care for an existing tree. This year, a new exhibit at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco has been inspired by Tu Bishvat.

Do Not Destroy: Trees, Art, and Jewish Thought, on view at the Contemporary Jewish Museum February 16 through May 28, 2012, is a provocative and thoughtful two-part exhibition that explores the subject of the tree in both contemporary art and offers fresh perspectives on our connection to the natural world.

A Special Offer

The CJM is pleased to extend California ReLeaf members a two-for-one Museum admission offer to Do Not Destroy February 16 through May 28, 2012. When you purchase one Museum admission at full price, you receive a second for free. Ticket prices are: $12.00 for adults, $10.00 for students and senior citizens with a valid ID, and $5 on Thursdays after 5 PM. Mention “California ReLeaf Offer” when purchasing your Museum admission in the CJM’s Grand Lobby.

The Museum is located at 736 Mission Street (between 3rd & 4th streets), in San Francisco, and is open daily (except Wednesday) 11 AM–5 PM; Thursday, 1–8 PM. For general information, visit www.thecjm.org.

Tree Lodi is a community-based non-profit organization created to promote, and advocate for the planting, maintenance and preservation of Lodi’s urban forest through education, stewardship, and community involvement.  They are arborists, business owners, employees, homemakers, and retired folks . . . citizens just like you.  They appreciate trees, and what they do for the community and the environment and are  determined to make a difference in Lodi’s urban forest.

Please consider joining them for this exciting time and contributing to this effort.  More information is available on their website at www.treelodi.org

In honor of California Arbor Week, March 7 – 14, 2012, California ReLeaf is pleased to kick off a California Arbor Week Photo Contest.  This contest is an effort to increase awareness of and appreciation for the trees and forests in the communities where Californians live, work and play.  This contest is designed to highlight the broad diversity of tree species, settings, and landscapes throughout our state, in locations urban and rural, large and small, and on public and privately owned land.  Trees provide many benefits to our communities.  They clean our air and water, save energy, raise property values, foster neighborhood pride, provide wildlife habitat, revitalize neighborhoods, and create an inviting outdoor environment for people to play, exercise and socialize.  In addition, trees provide significant benefits related to health and nutrition, crime reduction, community beautification, neighborhood revitalization, and economic vitality.  We are looking for photographs in the following categories: My Favorite California Tree, and Trees Where I Live.

For contest rules, submission guidelines, and deadline, please click here.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 10 (ACR 10) was introduced by Assemblymember Roger Dickinson, sponsored by California ReLeaf and passed by both the Assembly and Senate last week to proclaim March 7-14 of each year as California Arbor Week, urging California residents to observe the week with appropriate tree planting activities and programs.

“I am proud to have been a part of a tremendously successful California Arbor Week” said Assemblymember Roger Dickinson, “The benefits of the increased activism from our plantings, education, and preservation will last for generations in our communities, forests, and our hearts.”

Research shows that trees clear pollution from the air, catch significant rainwater, add to property values, cut energy use, increase commercial activity, reduce stress, improve neighborhood safety and enhance recreation opportunities.

Over 50 events and celebrations occurred around the state this year, from Eureka to San Diego, and California ReLeaf is raising money to support tree-planting initiatives and local organizations for 2012’s celebrations. Click here to read the full text of Resolution ACR 10, and visit www.arborweek.org for more information.

Assemblymember Roger Dickinson, representing the 9th District, introduced Assembly Concurrent Resolution 10 (ACR 10) to officially designate March 7-14 as California Arbor Week.  ACR 10 urges California residents to observe March 7-14 each year as California Arbor Week.  Trees are a vital resource to to our communities and serve as an important link with nature for California’s residents.

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