Residents will be urged to plant parkway trees by the Palisades Forestry Committee, which will also make recommendations.
Tree Goals at the Next Community Council Meeting
After months of research, consultations and meetings, the Palisades Forestry Committee is ready to go public with its findings and recommendations.
Committee chairman David Card will make the group’s first presentation at the Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting on Thursday, September 12, at 6 p.m. in the Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real.
Council President George Wolfberg appointed the committee in late April, tasking its members to develop workable policies for planting, nurturing and protecting street trees in Pacific Palisades while also solving the longstanding problem of outdated street tree designations.
While studying street tree and forestry policies adopted by neighboring cities such as Culver City and Santa Monica, the committee widened its mission to include rising concerns about the loss of historic Palisades trees and to address ways to enhance and sustain the health and beauty of all trees in the community.
Committee members included representatives from Palisades Beautiful, the Garden Club, City Councilman Mike Bonin’s office, the L.A. Urban Forestry Division, and landscape architects and designers.
The Palisades Forestry Committee has produced a mission statement with four key goals:
- Enhance and sustain the health and beauty of the Pacific Palisades urban forest for future generations by facilitating the planting of appropriate trees and the caring for our existing trees.
- Educate our community about the economic, environmental, health, social, emotional and aesthetic benefits of the trees that comprise our urban forest.
- Protect the urban forest from unnecessary removals by better management, planning and enforcement, and honor the history of trees in the community.
- Establish a replicable model of a community urban forest task force for Pacific Palisades in partnership with the City of Los Angeles.
All members of the community are invited to hear the committee’s presentation at the PPCC meeting and give feedback on their perspectives including such important topics as the history of Palisades trees, the impact of tree loss on climate change, and preserving the character of our community.
PFC voting members include David Card (landscape designer), Bill Bruns (Friends of the Library), Jo Ann Bright (landscape designer), Kelly Comras (FASLA landscape architect), Cindy Kirven (Palisades Garden Club), Michael Terry (Palisades Beautiful and landscape designer) and Marilyn Wexler (Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association president).
Participating members include George Wolfberg (PPCC chair), Lisa Cahill (CD 11 Field Deputy for Pacific Palisades), Stephen Du Prey (L.A. Urban Forestry Division, liaison to PFC), Mary Schulz (Garden Club president), and Lisa V. (Palisades tree activist).