Urban Forestry and Climate Change Discussed at the Sustainable City Commission

The Sustainable City Commission last week heard updates on the state of Long Beach’s urban forest and the process to create a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan for the City. The Department of Public Works presented findings from the recent Street Tree Inventory completed in March 2018. The Commission also heard from Development Services, Planning Department about the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP), which is hosting its first open house this Saturday (June 2^nd). The full meeting is available to watch online.

Long Beach’s urban forest is holding steady despite the recent drought. Many trees in the city have failed due to drought conditions, however the city is also gaining trees at a faster rate. Between the inventories in 2010 and 2018, the city gained 1,044 more trees for a current total of nearly 94,000. These trees are planted through grant funding from the Port of Long Beach, local projects, as well as the Office of Sustainability’s regular tree planting program. Long Beach’s urban forest is currently valued at $379 million dollars, and there is still room to grow; the inventory identified 45,368 vacant sites that could receive trees.

Long Beach’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan is completing the first phase of evaluation and moving on to creating strategies with the help of community input. The plan will address two important aspects: Action, which aims to reduce our emissions and negative environmental impacts; and Adaptation, which aims to protect communities and infrastructure from the impacts of climate change. The CAAP team has evaluated Long Beach’s emissions and vulnerabilities to climate impacts and is now asking for input from residents on the strategies for action and adaptation that are needed in their communities. Come to the open house on Saturday June 2^nd, and sign up for updates on LinkLB to stay informed on the plan and future opportunities to get involved.

Join us at the next Sustainable City Commission meeting on June 28^th.