Who We Are

Born from the efforts of a teenager over 50 years ago, TreePeople inspires and supports the people of Southern California to come together to plant and care for trees, harvest the rain, and renew depleted landscapes. Through our unique model, we listen to, equip, and train volunteers to green our urban spaces and mountains. TreePeople has activated millions of people in planting and caring for millions of trees.

We work with both educators and students to train the next generation of eco-conscious leaders. We steward thousands of acres of land—maintaining habitats and protecting land from development. We develop original, actionable research that drives science-based policy. We train volunteers on the ground to help build a greener Southern California.

Meet our team →

Our Focus Areas

Education

Providing students, teachers and the school community with the knowledge, tools and support they need to create environmental change.

Forestry

Restoring ecosystems, planting trees, and incorporating nature-based solutions from Southern California urban streets to our greater watershed.

Policy & Research

Conducting cutting-edge research and facilitating policies that support nature-based solutions.

Community

Working towards environmental and social justice among environmentally stressed communities.

Get Involved

Events at the Park

TreePeople events are where arts and activism converge in Southern California – creating a new space to explore the connections between creativity and the environment.

Native Plants E-Book

Our highly anticipated native plant guide, “Southern California Native Plants: A Starter Guide from TreePeople” is now available for free download! This beautifully illustrated e-book is chock-full of TreePeople’s favorite native plants and trees, garden planning tips, maintenance hints, planting requirements, and other helpful resources.

Shop

For nearly 50 years, TreePeople has planted over 3 million trees with 3 million volunteers across Southern California. Purchasing these products helps us plant and care for the next 3 million!

Volunteer

Volunteering with TreePeople is fun and rewarding. Our events empower you with the support, training and tools you need to be an engine of change. Join us each week as we plant and care for trees throughout Los Angeles, remove invasive species and maintain our projects throughout Southern California.

Monthly Giving

Canopy funds will directly benefit our initiatives in urban and school greening for underserved communities, support our wildfire restoration initiatives, and allow us to provide environmental education to thousands of students each year.

Blog

“Good” Plants vs. “Bad” Plants: unpacking the invasive species discourse

Native, non-native, and invasive. If you’re passionate about plants, you’ve probably heard these terms thrown around a lot. They’re used to describe the origins of different species, and often the connotation is that native plants are “good,” while other plants are “bad” or unwanted, and should be removed.  But is this always true? Can plants…

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Pruning 101: the TreePeople guide to proper tree pruning

If you’re a homeowner, a landscaping professional, or someone who just cares a lot about the health of your local trees, you’re probably familiar with the practice of pruning.  In its simplest form, pruning involves removing branches from a tree for a specific purpose. But how often should you be doing this? Which branches should…

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How TreePeople is Greening Schoolyards

In the preface to Claire Latané’s Schools That Heal, she reminds us that “It is hard to make healthy schools. Even in neighborhoods that have plenty of resources, most school environments fall short of supporting students’ mental and physical health and well-being.” TreePeople’s School Greening initiative aims to collaborate with school communities to reimagine how…

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