I Dig Long Beach Plants Its 3,000th Tree

I Dig Long Beach’s goal is to plant 6,000 trees by 2020, and they just planted their 3,000th tree near Hamilton Middle School on Saturday. The initiative is coordinated by the Long Beach Development Services Housing and Neighborhood Services Bureau, and funded by the Port of Long Beach. Long Beach Development Services partners with a wide variety of neighborhood groups, schools, churches, youth, and community groups to host large planting events. Partners also draw on local networks to organize tree maintenance and watering events to ensure trees survive in their new homes.

Tree planting events also serve as a way to bring the community together. City staff works alongside the community at these events and accepts whatever donations of time or goods people are able to give. The whole community comes together to plant the trees, and events frequently include 200-400 youth and adult volunteers. The next tree planting event is happening on March 9th from 9am to 12pm at Craftsman Village Park. Volunteers are welcome to join.  For more information see the event flyer. Get involved and give back to your community this year by planting or watering trees in your neighborhood.

The Housing and Neighborhood Services staff began planting trees in the 1990s, and staff member Margaret Madden has witnessed the transformation that has taken place. “The Housing and Neighborhood Services Bureau has helped plant over 17,000 trees with neighborhoods and community groups over the past 25 years,” Madden said. “In your lifetime you can change the whole appearance of your street.” These trees don’t just look good either, they provide lots of benefits to the community. In addition to cleaning the air we breathe, trees also increase property values, shade our homes to make cooling and heating more efficient, and help to soak up rainwater so it doesn’t all flow into storm drains. Studies in Baltimore and Philadelphia even show a link between street trees and reduced crime rates.

Individual tree plantings are also organized through the Office of Sustainability’s Parkway Tree Planting Program. Residents can submit a request for a tree to be planted in the parkway in front of their homes. Once the request is approved, Sustainability staff will come plant the tree, and the resident is responsible for maintaining it. If you would like to request a tree in front of your home, please see our Tree Planting Program Page.

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