We Can Save Our Urban Canopy!

LA’s urban canopy is in a crisis. From 2000 to 2021 alone, Los Angeles lost 11% of its overall tree canopy. According to the city’s Urban Forestry Division, we could lose around HALF of the trees we have left over the next four decades.

Why is this happening? Well, life in the big city is tough for a tree.

  • Unhealthy soils, extreme heat, irregular watering, poor pruning, and limited root space all work against their health and long-term survival.
  • There’s also the constant threat of development, which can lead to mature trees getting damaged or cut down.
  • And there’s climate change, which is creating extreme weather conditions that make it tougher for these already resource-strapped trees to survive.

Still, we NEED our trees. In addition to making our city more beautiful and biodiverse, trees are critical infrastructure that provide life-saving shade, capture water, clean the air, improve our soil, and so much more.

While planting new trees is a big part of what we do here at TreePeople, we also believe that it’s critical to preserve and protect the trees we already have. And that’s why we’re urging YOU to save our urban canopy, before it’s too late! Here’s how you can help:

Let’s Care for Trees

How to care for trees in your neighborhood

Here at TreePeople, we do a LOT of planting—in 2024 alone, we put more than 11,000 new trees in the ground! Expanding our urban canopy is critical to building climate resilience. But something that’s just as important is continuing to care for the canopy we have—especially the older, mature trees that make our neighborhoods shady, healthy, and beautiful.

How to Start a Community Tree Care Team

Have you ever strolled down your neighborhood street and thought, “Wow, those trees could use a little TLC”? You’re not alone—and guess what? You can do something about it! Forming a Community Tree Care Team is a simple and rewarding way to make a big difference, right in your own backyard (or sidewalk strip).

How to Keep Trees Alive

In order to thrive, our city’s trees need our help. When we cut down on watering our landscapes, our trees suffer especially those that grew dependent on lawn watering. A tree may look healthy, but without adequate water it becomes stressed and may die. When it comes to sharing our water, trees should be our priority!

Let’s Protect Trees

What to do when a tree is at risk of being cut down

Our urban forest is a precious resource. Trees help cool our streets in a warming climate, create critical habitat for wildlife, and beautify our neighborhoods, too. We need to be planting more trees—especially in areas that have historically been disinvested in. And it can be extra frustrating when one is at risk of being cut down in your neighborhood. Here’s what you can do about it.

Stop the Top - Fliers & More

We’re spreading the word about tree “topping,” which is a pruning technique that involves cutting away all or most of the upper branches and leaves on a tree’s crown, and can leave trees susceptible to starvation and even death. Check out our information and resources to learn more about proper pruning techniques, and how you can spread the word to help save our urban canopy!

Let’s Advocate for Trees

Get to Know LA’s Protected Trees and Shrubs

LA’s trees and shrubs are critical infrastructure, providing countless benefits to our communities and local ecosystems. Our native trees and shrubs—which are specially adapted to live in this region—play a particularly important role in our local environment, serving as hubs for biodiversity and beacons of climate resiliency.

How to design a more tree friendly city

Life in the big city is REALLY tough for trees. While trees in the wild often live 100 years or more, the average lifespan of an urban tree is just 19 to 28 years. What accounts for this discrepancy? Well, many of our urban environments aren’t built for trees. Here at TreePeople, we think our cities can—and should—be made for both trees AND people. Here are four ideas for how we can do it.