Greener spaces are vital for the health and wellbeing of our communities. Together, with volunteers and supporters, TreePeople helped plant shade trees and distribute hundreds of fruit trees to local residents at Cherry Park in Long Beach.
On a bright and active Friday morning, TreePeople, Conservation Corps of Long Beach, and Delta Air Lines celebrated a major milestone, planting the 250th tree as part of a shared commitment to green Los Angeles ahead of the 2028. The milestone was marked with a ceremonial planting by local leaders and volunteers to help create cooler and more resilient neighborhoods.
Throughout the morning, members of the LA28 Volunteer Crew joined TreePeople and the Conservation Corps of Long Beach–rolling up their sleeves to plant 26 shade trees throughout the beautiful park.
Hundreds of local residents also gathered to get one of 128 free fruit trees ranging from guava, apple, pear, and pomegranate. This stretched our impact beyond the park and into the heart of the surrounding neighborhood.
“Collaboration is the key to achieving our goal of getting shade-providing, life-saving, water-capturing trees in the ground. This event highlights what TreePeople, community organizations, businesses, and other partners can get done when we work together,” said Dr. Cassie Rauser, The Fielding Family CEO, TreePeople
The planting marks an important step toward the Delta Air Lines’ goal of adding 1,000 trees to communities across Los Angeles before the 2028 Games. The milestone also advances TreePeople’s Rooting for LA initiative, our ambitious regional effort to plant and steward 28,000 trees by 2028. Launched with support from Delta Air Lines, Rooting for LA is helping communities across the region build a healthier, more climate-resilient future while creating a lasting environmental legacy leading up to the Games.
Alongside excited volunteers and local residents adopting trees, the event brought together several key community leaders: Dana Debel, Managing Director of State and Local Government Affairs at Delta Air Lines; Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, Long Beach City Council member Megan Kerr; John Harper, Chief Operating Officer of LA28; David Sall, Acting Executive Director & CEO, Conservation Corps of Long Beach; and Dr. Cassie Rauser, TreePeople Fielding Family CEO to expand tree canopy, create more shade, and support healthier, greener public spaces for the Long Beach community.
All of these partners working together–caring for our trees and local communities–shows how we can all take part to green the spaces we call home.
Through hands-on volunteering and investment in urban forestry, TreePeople and supporting organizations are demonstrating how the road to 2028 can deliver meaningful benefits for Angelenos and SoCal residents today and for generations to come.