The devastating Station Fire of 2009 destroyed 160,000 acres of wilderness in the Angeles National Forest in the mountains surrounding Los Angeles—and fully 11,000 of those acres burned too deep in the soil for natural seed regeneration. So every season TreePeople and the U.S. Forest Service need lots of extra hands to help plant trees while the soil conditions and temperature are optimal.

We’re in the third planting season with our partners at Forest Aid: Angeles. To meet our 2013 goal we must plant 5,000 more seedlings than last year—for a total of 15,000 new trees. Since the fire, 22,660 seedlings have been planted by more than 150 TreePeople Angeles Restoration Supervisors and more than 2,000 other volunteers.

Your hands are welcome to contribute!

Reforesting these areas is important not just for the forest, but for our city as well. Extremely intense fires may damage soils and burn enough vegetation to compromise the forest’s vital services.  These services include providing a portion of Los Angeles’s drinking water and protecting communities from flooding and mudslides. As much as 15 percent of the City of Los Angeles’s water comes from local sources such as the Angeles National Forest. Neighboring communities in the San Gabriel Valley also rely on the forest watershed for most of their water needs.

Join us for the next Angeles planting day. We meet at the Chilao campground every Thursday through Sunday in March and April to plant native Jeffrey and Coulter pine seedlings. Check our calendar for details and RSVP.

It’s a satisfying day in the mountains, giving the forest a little human help.

Sign up for a planting date:
March 21
March 22
March 23
March 24