Issue 122 – April 2022
RE: MEMBERS

California JPIA Members Help Amplify the Urban Forest
Preempting Arbor Day, which traditionally is held the last Friday in April, California JPIA members La Quinta, Paramount, and Santa Paula joined 27 municipal agencies across California to plant 2,000 trees in one day on March 12, 2022. Supported by local volunteers, community groups, and municipal leaders, the AMPlifying the Urban Forest tree-planting event advanced a collaborative urban forestry movement by educating the public on the importance of cultivating and maintaining a healthy urban forest.
Home to more than 8,000 city trees, Paramount was named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation—a nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees—in honor of the city’s commitment to effective urban forest management.
“City trees are a vital part of what makes Paramount a great place,” said Paramount Mayor Brenda Olmos. “AMPlifying the Urban Forest brought the community together to add to our developing urban canopy and make Paramount a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable place to live.”
Santa Paula, currently pursuing a Tree City USA designation, recently recommitted to improving the health and wellness of the community’s local trees through new tree plantings, increased tree care, and hazardous tree removals. Volunteers planted 65 young, healthy trees during AMPlifying the Urban Forest.
“It was great seeing our residents spend a Saturday morning planting trees to beautify Santa Paula,” said Santa Paula Mayor Jenny Crosswhite. “This event not only helped us enhance the green space in our city but also paved the way for Santa Paula to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly.”
“Taking part in a statewide event like AMPlifying the Urban Forest reminds us that environmental issues and accomplishments are much bigger than just our city,” said Santa Paula City Manager Dan Singer. “Planting trees and continuing to invest in our environment will allow the next generation to keep Santa Paula’s unique culture and traditions alive.”
This spring, Santa Paula is removing invasive eucalyptus trees with the support of a $300,000 CAL FIRE Climate Investments Fire Prevention Grant, awarded by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
The City of La Quinta also recently began repairing irrigation and replacing diseased trees along its Bear Creek Trail, planting varieties including Blue Palo Verde, Honey Mesquite, and Desert Willow from the Coachella Valley Native Plant List.
AMPlifying the Urban Forest was developed and presented in partnership with the California Urban Forests Council, West Coast Arborists, Taylor Guitars, The Britton Fund, and the Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection provided funding for the project as part of the California Climate Investments Program and the US Forest Service.
“It was incredible to see how urban forestry can unite a group of people to impact their community,” said Mike Palat, vice president of West Coast Arborists, which provided hands-on support and subject matter expertise to ensure the trees were planted safely. “We are grateful for the many volunteers and elected officials that came out, got their hands dirty, and supported this event.”
For other member agencies planning Arbor Day events, California JPIA’s Tree Inspection and Maintenance Policy template contains guidelines to reduce public agency exposure to liability associated with trees, protect trees, and maintain trees’ public benefits, including improved air quality, reduced stormwater flow, habitat for wildlife, and reduced heat island effect. The template, available electronically at cjpia.org, is accessible in Microsoft Word format so that members can make agency-specific modifications. For more information, please contact your regional risk manager.
Pictured: Paramount volunteers and West Coast Arborists staff at Progress Park in the City of Paramount. Photo Credit: City of Paramount
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