Our Story

Our Mission

Our mission is to grow a greener future for Los Angeles by engaging Angelenos to plant and care for trees throughout the City.

Our Vision

At City Plants, we envision a Los Angeles in which people in every neighborhood have equal access to trees and their benefits: clean air, energy efficiency, better health, cooling shade, and friendlier, more vibrant communities.

What We Do

We plant and distribute 20,000 trees a year. We work with six non-profit partners and several different LA City departments to transform streets and neighborhoods.

Our Priorities

  • Planting in low canopy neighborhoods
  • Promoting a sustainable city by maximizing our canopy’s energy efficiency, stormwater capture, human health benefits, and climate adaptation benefits
  • Creating jobs in tree planting and care

Why Trees?

Los Angeles is at a crossroads when it comes to the health of our trees. Our city has lost thousands of trees due to drought and pests, and will lose thousands more due to old age in the coming decades. The City’s Urban Forestry Division estimates that we will lose between one third and one half of our street trees in the next 40 years due to old age alone.

We cannot take our trees for granted. We must plant now to ensure a green future for our kids and grandkids.

We are losing trees at a time when we need them the most. We expect our City to get hotter in the coming decades, and trees are key to cooling our homes, streets, and schools. We must plant aggressively now to ensure that as temperatures rise, our City is equipped with a cooling canopy of healthy, mature trees.

   Trees filter asthma-causing pollution out of the air and help reduce the greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

   They help us protect our famous beaches by capturing polluted stormwater and helping it sink into the ground rather than wash out to sea.

   Trees add beauty to our neighborhoods, which increases property values and makes business corridors more attractive to shoppers.

   Trees are an excellent way to keep our yards green while using less water, especially when planting one of the many drought-resilient varieties available through our program.

How We Work

City Plants is a non-profit organization running a public-private partnership between the City of Los Angeles and six other non-profit organizations. Together, we work with community groups, residents, and businesses to coordinate tree planting and care throughout Los Angeles.

City Plants is a continuation of LA’s former tree planting program, Million Trees LA. Our current name reflects our changing priorities, which are to focus our efforts in low canopy areas and to plant in a way that maximizes the benefits trees provide rather than on reaching a specific number of trees.

In 2001, LADWP created the “Trees for a Green LA” program and started planting trees for energy efficiency. By subsequently partnering with City Plants to run this program, the utility has been able to increase its effectiveness and reach, leveraging energy efficiency resources to bring over $5 million of state and federal funds to Los Angeles for planting and caring for new trees. LADWP remains City Plants’ largest partner in its citywide tree-planting efforts. Through this partnership, City Plants is able to provide free shade trees for residents and property owners in the City of LA, along with important information on where to plant those trees to maximize energy efficiency in homes or businesses.

Our urban forest nourishes and protects us all. It’s up to each of us to take care of it and grow a greener future for our kids.

How You Can Help

Plant Trees in Your Yard

If you live in the City of Los Angeles, you are eligible to receive up to seven free trees to plant on your property. Take care of them and watch them grow. Also, be on the lookout for our tree adoption events, where you can take home one tree to plant on your property. Plant them on the west or east side of the building to maximize shading and energy savings.

Sign Up for A Street Tree

If the parkway in front of your house is empty, sign up for a street tree to be planted in front of your house. All you have to do is water it! If you think your street could use more trees, become a block captain and sign up all of your neighbors.

Volunteer at a Community Tree Planting Event

Sign up to be notified about our volunteer events!

Donate

Help us continue to grow a healthy urban forest for generations to come with a one-time donation or by signing up for monthly giving!

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