Grants of up to $100,000 will be awarded competitively to cities, other public agencies and nonprofit organizations that partner with public agencies.  Grant guidelines allow for trees to be planted in parks and public open spaces as well as in parkways along residential and commercial streets.

The application deadline has been set for May 31^st for applicants to develop comprehensive replanting programs.  Grants should be awarded this summer allowing for tree planting as early as this fall or winter.  Priority will be given to the grant proposals demonstrating the greatest need.

Applications can be downloaded from the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District website here, or call (213) 738-2981.

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.

Watch Cover Your Asphalt Campaign on PBS. See more from Rob on the Road.

Taylor Students Plant Fruit Trees

Common Vision Plants Fruit Trees

Students Get Tree-Planting Lesson

We Love Our Trees

Common Vision Comes to Chico

The Hollywood/LA Beautification Team (HBT), Koreatown Youth & Community Center (KYCC), Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC), Northeast Trees (NET) are co-hosting a local tree planting event to celebrate the multiple job creation and community health benefits that have been realized through projects completed by the four non-profit groups.  The projects  are funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  The tree plantings will be conducted by students, volunteers and organizational staff.  Numerous elected officials have been invited to attend and participate.   The event will take place at the Foshay Learning Center, located at Western Ave and Exposition Blvd. on Monday December 5th at 9am.

The goals of the American Recovery and Reinvest Act were to create new jobs, save existing ones, spur economic activity, and invest in long-term growth.  Combined, these four groups received over $1.6 million in ARRA grants administered by California ReLeaf in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service.  These grants have supported more than 34,000 employment hours contributed to the LA work force by teaching green job skills to at-risk youth and cleaning the county’s air and water through the planting, care and maintenance of over 21,000 trees since April, 2010.  The Foshay Learning Center tree-planting embodies all of the goals of the ARRA and further demonstrates the need to sustain these efforts after the ARRA projects have been completed.

A donation to California ReLeaf is a gift to the citizen’s of California for generations to come.  Consider supporting us this holiday season and invest in California!  As a special bonus, all donations of $100 or more between now and December 31, 2011 will receive a copy of A Californian’s Guide to the Trees Among Us as a special gift.

Click here to donate and give the gift of trees.

Professor Maathai suggested to them that planting trees might be an answer. The trees would provide wood for cooking, fodder for livestock, and material for fencing; they would protect watersheds and stabilize the soil, improving agriculture. This was the beginning of the Green Belt Movement (GBM), which was formally established in 1977. GBM has since mobilized hundreds of thousands of women and men to plant more than 47 million trees, restoring degraded environments and improving the quality of life for people in poverty.

As GBM’s work expanded, Professor Maathai realized that behind poverty and environmental destruction were deeper issues of disempowerment, bad governance, and a loss of the values that had enabled communities to sustain their land and livelihoods, and what was best in their cultures. The planting of trees became an entry-point for a larger social, economic, and environmental agenda.

In the 1980s and 1990s the Green Belt Movement joined with other pro-democracy advocates to press for an end to the abuses of the dictatorial regime of then Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi. Professor Maathai initiated campaigns that halted the construction of a skyscraper in Uhuru (“Freedom”) Park in downtown Nairobi, and stopped the grabbing of public land in Karura Forest, just north of the city center. She also helped lead a yearlong vigil with the mothers of political prisoners that resulted in freedom for 51 men held by the government.

As a consequence of these and other advocacy efforts, Professor Maathai and GBM staff and colleagues were repeatedly beaten, jailed, harassed, and publicly vilified by the Moi regime. Professor Maathai’s fearlessness and persistence resulted in her becoming one of the best-known and most respected women in Kenya. Internationally, she also gained recognition for her courageous stand for the rights of people and the environment.

Professor Maathai’s commitment to a democratic Kenya never faltered. In December 2002, in the first free-and-fair elections in her country for a generation, she was elected as Member of Parliament for Tetu, a constituency close to where she grew up. In 2003 President Mwai Kibaki appointed her Deputy Minister for the Environment in the new government. Professor Maathai brought GBM’s strategy of grassroots empowerment and commitment to participatory, transparent governance to the Ministry of Environment and the management of Tetu’s constituency development fund (CDF). As an MP, she emphasized: reforestation, forest protection, and the restoration of degraded land; education initiatives, including scholarships for those orphaned by HIV/AIDS; and expanded access to voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) as well as improved nutrition for those living with HIV/AIDS.

Professor Maathai is survived by her three children—Waweru, Wanjira, and Muta, and her granddaughter, Ruth Wangari.

Read more from Wangari Muta Maathai: A Life of Firsts here.

Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill 587 (Gordon and Furutani) on September 6th, which now extends the current prevailing wage exemption for volunteers through 2017.  This was the priority legislation for the urban forestry community this year, and is essential to preserving the rights of all Californians to donate their time and spirit to a spectrum of resource conservation activities, critical tree care and tree planting projects. California ReLeaf Network groups and their partners provided strong support for this bill throughout the legislative session, which helped make a difference.

Thanks to everyone for making this effort such a huge success.

Virtually every region in the state is represented by these grant recipients that are engaging in a variety of tree-planting projects that will enhance through urban forestry  California communities extending from the city streets of Eureka to underserved areas in Los Angeles County.  “Healthy urban and community forests directly contribute to the economic, social and environmental health of California,” said Chuck Mills, California ReLeaf Grants Program Manager.  “Through their funded proposals, these nine grant recipients reflect a creativity and commitment to making our state a better place to live for this generation and generations to come.”

The California ReLeaf Tree-Planting Grant Program is funded through a contract with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.  A complete list of the 2011 grant recipients can be downloaded from the California ReLeaf website at www.californiareleaf.org.

“ReLeaf is proud to be an integral part of building community through tree-planting projects in California,” said Executive Director Joe Liszewski.  “Since 1992, we have invested more than $6.5 million in urban forestry efforts geared towards greening our Golden State.  We are especially excited to see several of these grant recipients volunteering to work with us this year to measure many of their projects’ healthy community contributors by utilizing cutting-edge software that will quantify air quality and energy conservation benefits. ”

California ReLeaf’s mission is to empower grassroots efforts and build strategic partnerships that preserve, protect, and enhance California’s urban and community forests.  Working statewide, we promote alliances among community-based groups, individuals, industry, and government agencies, encouraging each to contribute to the livability of our cities and the protection of our environment by planting and caring for trees.

“The Energy Conservation Through Trees Act would help reduce energy costs for consumers and improve air quality for all,” said Congresswoman Matsui.  “In my hometown of Sacramento, I have seen firsthand how successful shade tree programs can be.  As we continue to present the twin challenges of high energy costs and the effects of climate change, it is essential that we put in place innovative policies and forward-thinking programs today that prepare ourselves for tomorrow.  Expanding this local initiative to the national level can help ensure that we are working towards a cleaner, healthier future, and will be one piece of the puzzle in our fight to reduce our energy use and protect our planet.”

Patterned after the successful model established by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the Energy Conservation Through Trees Act seeks to save Americans significant amounts of money on their utility bills and reduce outside temperatures in urban areas because shade trees help to shield homes from sun in the summer.  The program conducted by SMUD has been proven to lower energy bills, make local power utilities more cost-effective, and reduce air pollution.  The bill contains a requirement that all federal funds provided as part of a grant program be matched at least one-to-one with non-federal dollars.

Planting shade trees around homes in a strategic manner is a proven way to lower energy demand in residential areas.  According to research conducted by the Department of Energy, three shade trees strategically planted around a house can reduce home air-conditioning bills by about 30 percent in some cities, and a nationwide shade program could reduce air-conditioning use by at least 10 percent.  Shade trees also help to:

• Improve public health and air quality by absorbing particulate matter;
• Store carbon dioxide to help slow global warming;
• Reduce the risk of flooding in urban areas by absorbing stormwater runoff;
• Improve private property values and increase residential aesthetics; and
• Preserve public infrastructure, such as streets and sidewalks.

“It is a simple plan really – to plant trees and create more shade for your home – and in turn lowering the energy use one needs to cool their home,” Congresswoman Matsui added.  “But even small changes can yield tremendous results when it comes to energy efficiency and lowering consumers energy bills.”

“SMUD has supported the development of a sustainable urban forest through our program with positive results,” said SMUD Board President Renee Taylor.  “We are honored that our Shade Tree program was used as the template for the enhancement of urban forests nationwide.”

Larry Greene, Executive Director of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (AQMD) said, “The Sacramento AQMD is very supportive of this bill since trees have well known benefits for the environment generally and air quality specifically.  We have long worked closely with our advocacy agencies to add more trees to our region.”

“Planting shade trees serves as an effective approach to lowering home energy consumption, and we encourage members of Congress to follow Representative Matsui’s leadership,” said Nancy Somerville, Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects. “Beyond lowering utility bills, trees can help increase property values, help prevent flooding by absorbing stormwater, and reduce the urban heat island effect.”

Peter King, Executive Director of the American Public Works Association, lent the Association’s support to the bill, saying, “APWA applauds Congresswoman Matsui for introducing this innovative legislation that will provide numerous air and water quality benefits that contribute the important quality of life for all members of a community and assist public works departments in improving air quality, reducing heat island affects and prevent stormwater runoff.”

“Alliance for Community Trees resoundingly supports this legislation and Congresswoman Matsui’s vision and leadership,” added Carrie Gallagher, Executive Director of Alliance for Community Trees.  “We know people care about trees and about their pocketbooks.  This legislation recognizes that trees not only beautify homes and our neighborhoods and improve individual property values, but they also save real, everyday dollars for homeowners and businesses by providing heat-beating, energy-saving shade.  Trees are an integral part of creative green solutions to our country’s energy demands.”

Conserving energy through the use of strategically-planted trees is supported by the following organizations: Alliance for Community Trees; American Public Power Association; American Public Works Association; American Society of Landscape Architects; California ReLeaf; California Urban Forests Council; International Society of Arboriculture; Sacramento Municipal Utility District; Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District; Sacramento Tree Foundation, and Utility Arborist Association.

A copy of the Energy Conservation Through Trees Act of 2011 is available HERE.  A one-page summary of the bill is attached HERE.