Million Trees LA

Million Trees LA (MTLA) is a citywide initiative launched in September 2006 by Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa. MTLA is a collaborative effort of the City of Los Angeles, community groups, businesses and individuals, working together to plant and provide long-term stewardship of LA’s urban forest. Trees provide shade and save on energy costs, clean the air and help reduce green house gases that cause global warming, capture polluted urban runoff, improve water quality and add beauty to our neighborhoods. Million Trees LA would like to have a series of fruit tree adoptions with a focus on food deserts and deliver fruit trees to people who live or own property within the City of Los Angeles. A fruit tree adoption is where tress are available for free to be planted on residential properties and people are provided information on to plant and care for trees. People adopt a tree and pledge to plant it on their private property. In addition to the environmental benefits of fruit trees, such as improving air quality, fruit trees give people access to healthy food that they grow. It is important for everyone to have access to healthy food options, such as fruit. People’s geographic area should not prevent them from having fresh, healthy food. By providing fruit trees in the City of Los Angeles, including food deserts, we are giving people the opportunity to improve their health and help the environment. Giving away fruit trees either at fruit trees adoptions or by delivering the fruit trees to residential properties for planting, gives people access to fresh, healthy foods while planting a tree that will reduce greenhouse gases, help them save energy by providing shade and capture storm water to replenish groundwater tables. Locally grown food also reduces any pollution emitted by the transportation of fruit from far away places. This will also provide people with the ability to add green space where they live. There are also social benefits provided by trees. More than 8% of children in Los Angeles-217,000- suffer from asthma. Studies have shown that an increase in tree-lined streets could lower that number by 25%. Research presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Conference in Chicago showed that the presence of trees could cut crime by as much as 7%. Specific Activities: (1) MTLA will work with our partners to coordinate and host a series of fruit tree adoptions and to manage the delivery of the fruit trees to private property located in the City of Los Angeles (2) MTLA will work with our partners and community organizations to conduct community outreach and inform people of the availability of the free fruit trees. (3) MTLA will conduct outreach to community organizations and businesses to secure sites to do the fruit tree adoptions, focusing on food deserts. (4) Door to door canvassing before the fruit tree adoption will take place in the geographic area around the fruit tree adoption site. (5) Our goal is to adopt or deliver to homes 1000 (5 gallon) fruit trees. (6) In order to adopt 1000 fruit trees we will need to have 5 fruit tree adoptions. The adoptions would take place during the June 2013-December 2013 grant period. (7) 5 gallon fruit trees will made available for MTLA’s Residential Tree Program, so residents of the City of Los Angeles can obtain free fruit trees to be planted on their private property. The tree will be delivered to them with the instructions and the materials needed to plant the tree. Million Trees LA is currently able to deliver free shade trees to people who live or own property in the City of Los Angeles through our Residential Tree Program. With the support of this grant we can expand the Residential Tree Program to include fruit trees and have fruit tree adoptions focused in food deserts in the City of Los Angeles. This will give people access to healthy foods and reduce their energy costs.