LA's urban forest equity program partners with City Plants and LADWP to plant free shade trees in disadvantaged communities, alongside Cool Streets LA reflective pavement. The City targets 50% canopy cover by 2028 in low-canopy neighborhoods.
City Plants is the nonprofit partner that distributes free trees to LA residents and small businesses, prioritizing low-canopy neighborhoods identified by the City's Tree Equity Score and CalEnviroScreen data. LADWP rebates fund tree planting on private property where shade reduces cooling loads. Cool Streets LA, run by StreetsLA, applies reflective pavement coatings in heat-burdened communities. The Mayor's Climate Emergency Mobilization Office targets 50% canopy in disadvantaged communities by 2028. Residents request trees online, choose species from a curated list, and the program covers planting, three-year maintenance, and replacement if the tree fails.
Program participation is voluntary, so there are no penalties; failing to water a free tree may forfeit replacement, and intentional damage to City-planted trees triggers LAMC §62.169 enforcement.
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles applies reflective CoolSeal coatings to selected residential streets through the Bureau of Street Services CoolStreets LA program, lowering surfa...
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles tackles urban heat islands through the Sustainable LA Plan and Climate Emergency Mobilization, combining a 50 percent tree-canopy goal in disadva...
Los Angeles, CA
Protected species under LAMC 46.00 include California Live Oak, Southern California Black Walnut, Western Sycamore, and California Bay. The broad definition ...
See how Los Angeles's urban forest equity rules stack up against other locations.
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