Forestry Committee Working to Reforest Town after the Fire

Cindy Kirven and David Card at the tree planting on Hartzell Street in 20ee. That tree survived the Palisades Fire in 2025.

The Palisades Forestry Committee (PFC) is a nonprofit organization working to increase and protect the canopy of the trees in Pacific Palisades for their environmental, economic, health and aesthetic benefits.

After the fire, the focus to reforest while staying true to their mission adds to the complexity of their task.

After a check had been presented to Village Green President Cindy Kirven, who is also the treasurer for the Palisades Forestry Committee, she spoke about what the Forestry committee is doing to bring back the lush canopy back. Entire blocks of parkway trees disappeared over night during the Palisades Fire.

Kirven said that donations that have been raised so far are either going to plant trees or to the water project. Existing trees, which received water from standing homes and in destroyed yards were in jeopardy this summer and fall because  of lack of rain or irrigation.

The Forestry committee was also essential in planting 12 trees in Temescal Canyon, one for each victim of the Palisades Fire. The nonprofit has also worked tirelessly on finding and getting permission to plant trees on the LAUSD property that slopes onto Swarthmore Avenue next to Palisades Elementary.

The group worked with Seven Arrows students for the school’s movement of Treeams (Trees + Dreams) to plant four new Redbud trees on the anniversary at Aldersgate. Students too are working to urging tree planting in the Palisades.

An upcoming Forestry project, later this month or the beginning of next, will be planting trees in the parkways in upper Santa Monica Canyon, the group is waiting for permits. This neighborhood did not burn, and neighbors have already agreed to planting locations.

“PFC is focusing on getting street trees in the ground as fast as possible on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis while watching for rebuild progress for location availability and water availability and that there are enough returned homes that construction trucks will not knock down newly planted trees,” Kirven said.

The nonprofit has already started mapping locations to plant new trees, by walking each street and measuring setbacks for infrastructure – driveways, light poles, electric lines overhead, surviving parkway trees –  in the El Medio/Asilomar bluffs neighborhood since it also has a large existing home population.

“We are working with Team Palisades block leaders as many neighborhoods are already pushing hard for planting (especially the Alphabet Streets) despite the lack of water infrastructure and construction truck and LADWP parkway risks in high rebuild zones,” Kirven said. “In other words, planning now will speed up planting later when the streets are sufficiently developed to minimize the loss of newly planted trees.”

Long-time resident and a founder of American Growers Company, Tracey Price watered existing trees in the parkways and medians after the fire. About 305 trees were mapped as needing water and with a truck, weekly made rounds.

Price suggested that people try to “plant the largest possible size specimens so we have a head start on recapturing our urban canopy.”

“The 15 gallon and 24” sizes will take decades to grow…. A 36” box gives us bang for the buck, without requiring heavy equipment to plant (like the 48” box size.),” Price said.

The Palisades Forestry Committee has valuable information on the website that includes street tree planting, removals, pruning and other resources. click here.