ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST

$7 Million CAL FIRE Grant Kickoff Event to Restore our Threatened Forests

26 April 2024

On May 16, 2024, TreePeople and California Botanic Garden host a press event and planting to start the implementation of a $7 million grant

LOS ANGELES - Last year TreePeople, with our partner California Botanic Garden (CalBG), was awarded a $7 million Forest Health grant to help rehabilitate fire-damaged natural landscapes in the Angeles National Forest and adjacent areas in the wildland urban interface. Investments like this show the continued power of what nonprofits, state government, and federal government can achieve together. Utilizing our different strengths, both TreePeople and CalBG will be scaling up restoration efforts through innovative and tested practices. The project, funded by California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), will focus on oak, conifer, and chaparral restoration across multiple fire-scarred areas including the Copper, Powerhouse, Bobcat, Narrow, Creek, Route, and Lake fires. We are thrilled to kick off the projects with a planting and press event on May 16, 2024, at the Castaic Lake State Recreation Area.

This partnership will restore degraded areas to a greatly improved biodiverse and resilient state–removing the invasive plant species that then dry out and become fuel for fires. It will also foster public stewardship by providing access to natural spaces and environmental education to Southern California residents.

Thierry Rivard, TreePeople’s Director of Mountain Forestry

Press Event & Planting Event
May 16, 2024
Press Event: 9:00 AM PDT
Planting: 10:00 AM PDT

This groundbreaking project is expected to yield the following outcomes:

Restoration of 1,070 forest acres
Propagation and planting of 54,750 native plants and trees
Engagement of 12,000 volunteers
Distribution of 4,000 no-cost take-home trees to the public
Propagation of over 36,000 native plants
Removal of invasives on over 250 acres of forest land
Collection of a minimum of 60,000 acorns and seeds
Collection of a minimum of 100 native chaparral plant and tree species for cold storage for future restoration projects

Speakers at the launch event will include Greg Dion, Regional Urban Forester, CAL FIRE; Jeff Heys, Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscape Manager, USDA Forest Service; Hugo Maldonado, Regional Operations Manager · County of Los Angeles, Department of Parks and Recreation; Thierry Rivard, TreePeople’s Director of Mountain Forestry; Billy Sale, CalBG’s Restoration Project Manager.

TreePeople Angeles Forest Restoration Site, photos by Adam Corey Thomas, courtesy of TreePeople

Fire is a part of our ecology here in SoCal but it shouldn’t be happening at the frequency or severity that we’ve been experiencing. This collaboration and the build-up of larger coalitions with local partners and funders will help accelerate the pace and scale of restoration and reforestation in our local wildlands to meet the challenges of the climate and wildfire crisis.

Daniel Berger, TreePeople’s Executive Director of Operations

To address the impacts of catastrophic fires in the Angeles National Forest, TreePeople will employ innovative restoration techniques including scientific research studies aimed at promoting scalable restoration management methods across Southern California.

Situated adjacent to one of the world's largest urban centers, the Angeles National Forest plays a crucial role in local air and water quality. It serves as a vital habitat connectivity corridor for the California Floristic Province–recognized as one of only 36 biodiversity hotspots globally and the sole hotspot in the western United States. The project area also encompasses habitat for several federally-listed threatened or endangered plant and animal species.

Solar-powered generator for the event is provided by Solarpunks.

TreePeople Angeles National Forest Restoration, 2022, photo by Adam Corey Thomas, courtesy of TreePeople

TreePeople unites the power of trees, people, and nature-based solutions to grow a more climate-ready Southern California. The organization inspires, engages and supports people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, facilitates collaboration among government agencies, and promotes leadership in grassroots volunteers, students and communities. In this way, TreePeople seeks to build a powerful and diverse coalition to grow a greener, healthier and more water-secure Southern California for present and future generations. For more information, visit treepeople.org.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Alex Miller
Director of Marketing & Communications, TreePeople
amiller@treepeople.org
818.639.2143