CAL FIRE-Funded HBT Tree Planting Projects in Los Angeles Area

Committed to grass roots change, the Hollywood Beautification Team works with communities across Los Angeles County on projects that range from mural painting to environmental remediation. Among grant providers for the Hollywood Beautification Team (HBT) projects has been the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).

One award of more than $434,000 enabled the planting of 750 trees across 13 parks. This undertaking was coordinated with the Recreation and Parks Department, which administers park properties that had lost thousands of trees over the last several years.

Another program funded through an urban forestry grant from CAL FIRE partnered with the Center for Urban Resilience (CURes) research team from Loyola Marymount University. Over a two year period, the team surveyed trees that had been planted in San Fernando Valley’s Pacoima area as a way of fighting climate change. With the trees planted in underserved neighborhoods, another aim was to mitigate urban heat island effects, while dampening noise pollution and providing air filtration.

With three species of trees planted, the HBT actively watered some and others left alone. The CURes team measured aspects of trees such as height, trunk circumference, and growing conditions (sun exposure). In addition, the health of the trees, such as percent crown missing and die-back, was recorded as a way of better understanding best practices for future plantings of the tree species.

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