How can communities manage their landscapes to make them more resilient to climate change? Can native plants and fungi remediate contaminated soil? And how can we better understand soil health in the aftermath of the LA fires?
These are just a few of the big questions researchers tackled at TreePeople’s 4th Los Angeles Urban Soil Symposium on March 7th. Framed around the theme of Climate Gardening, the conference dug into the way landscapes are both socially and ecologically constructed, and explored strategies to better adapt them to the impacts of climate change on our cities.
More than 130 environmental practitioners and climate gardeners came together for this event, representing a wide range of academic institutions, nonprofits, government entities, and private organizations. Unlike a traditional conference, the symposium wasn’t just about presenting research—it was about building connections, sparking ideas, and identifying new opportunities for collaboration. Many attendees got an in-depth look at TreePeople’s urban soils research conducted in local communities, as well as informative research posters from collaborators and TreePeople alike, which you can check out for yourself on the symposium website.
Presentations ranged from a historical reflection on the environmental movement and how it has shaped our contemporary landscape, to deep dives into green infrastructure, soil remediation, and the relationship between soil microbes and human health. For instance, Kirsten Schwarz of UCLA presented on how we might make soil testing more accessible to community members in the wake of the LA fires. Our very own Policy Associate Mary Hillemeier and Principal Scientist Dustin Herrmann kicked off the discussion of Climate Gardening, while TreePeople’s Research Senior Coordinator Igor Bronz made a case for introducing circular soil systems that would transform sediment from construction, demolition, and mining practices into clean, accessible, healthy soil.
Between presentations, attendees engaged in deep discussions about how we can move beyond outdated frameworks and embrace a more holistic, science-based approach to land management. They also had the chance to interact with a custom art installation designed for the symposium by COMMONStudio. The Mosaic Machine asked participants to make a philosophical choice to take a traditional, modern, ecological, or agrarian approach to residential landscapes and consider the broader impacts on our watershed.
From optimizing the ecological benefits of lawns to rethinking soil remediation strategies, Climate Gardening offers a powerful new way to approach urban resilience. With the enthusiasm and momentum generated at this year’s Urban Soil Symposium, the future of LA’s landscapes is looking greener than ever.