Family-Friendly Pocket Forests in the Desert

Green space, park access, and trees

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

According to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, about 500 million people across the planet live on degraded land.
This includes Los Angeles County residents who reside in the Antelope Valley.
Los Angeles has forgotten about its residents in the desert. Many families & individuals who live in the desert are in trailers without proper air conditioning, running water, or toilet systems. Elderly and children are especially affected by the deadly threat of heat stroke in the middle of the summer.
This is why we are planting Pocket Forests in the desert.

Our mission to cultivate Pocket Forests in the desert addresses the UN Convention to Combat Desertification through a community-led initative.
Studies show that large-scale afforestation and reforestation efforts are doomed to fail if the community is not leading the change.
Studies also show that access to Greener Spaces--such as our Pocket Forests in the desert--increase physical health, mental health, disaster preparedness, & community climate resilience.
The Pocket Forests we plant in the desert will:
Help stem biodiversity loss
Increase the water table
Bring greater food security
And improve the health outcomes of our highly vulnerable desert community--a community which is often forgotten about in the greater conversation on climate change in Los Angeles County.

If our work is successful, the deserts of Los Angeles County would experience a revitalization in the form of strategically planted Pocket Forests. This would contribute to the well-being of residents, as well as improve pollinator migrations (such as birds, bees, and butterflies like the western monarch).
Through a network of Pocket Forests spread throughout the desertified regions of Los Angeles County, the entire county would experience the positive effects of reversing desertification due to the increase in biodiversity, along with improving the health outcomes of Antelope Valley residents' health.

We measure impact using the following metrics:
Recording instances of biodiversity through iNaturalist, a citizen science app that records images, geolocation, and species/genus
Keeping a table of watering days to monitor each Pocket Forest's ability to become self-sustainable
Measuring height, width, canopy, health, and other plant-based attributes to understand each Pocket Forest's individual plant response to the western Mojave desert environment
Monitoring and recording soil health as the Pocket Forest transforms degraded land into fertile, rich soil
We also measure our community impact by:
Recording how many glamping guests stay in our Tiny House by the Pocket Forest
Keeping note of how many visitors (daytime) we receive
Counting every volunteer who helps us care for the Pocket Forests
Finally, you can review our 2023 Impact Report as well as our 2022 Impact Report to see how much we've grown since we started planting trees for climate resiliency in the desert in 2021.