Trees have disappeared from some of Los Angeles’ parks in recent years, many falling victim to the recent drought and the spread of an invasive beetle that has led to the removal of sycamores and other tree species. But Los Angeles park officials say they lack the tools to fully assess the damage.
Park officials now hope that a $1.3 million grant will allow them to build a database of the city’s park trees, get started replacing trees that were lost, and conduct an education and awareness campaign.
The largest share of the CAL FIRE grant — about $1 million — will be used to hire an arborist to build a park tree inventory that will “deliver health information about the city’s entire urban inventory,” according to the Department of Recreation and Park’s grant application.
Parks officials say they face “pressing conditions” that make the need for the tree inventory more urgent. A 2014 U.S. Forestry study found that Los Angeles has a tree canopy coverage of about 21 percent, but some parks have an even lower number, including one in Willmington that has a 6 percent coverage, which can affect a neighborhood’s “livability.” The study also said that 38 percent of Southern California trees are threatened and could die due to the polyphagus shot hole borer beetle, the drought and other “pests and diseases.”
The Recreation and Parks Department’s sustainability chief, Matthew Rudnick, said the at while there is “anecdotal evidence” of trees being threatened by drought and pests, the city doesn’t have “a way to measure and quantify the impact.”
Rudnick said the total cost of the tree inventory, planting and education program is about $1.75 million, and for now, the inventory will not include street trees.
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