Save our Trees to the Sea

It has been an interesting summer for Southern California trees. In the midst of a long-term drought the South Bay has recieved a few significant storms in the last several months but our trees still need extra love and attention.

Just this past Tuesday some parts of Los Angeles recieved 2.45 inches of rain! When you consider this region only gets 11-14 inches historically each year, that is quite a downpour! Unfortnately, due to extensive concreting in LA, a large network of storm drains to prevent flooding and a 50+ mile long LA River up to 90% of that wonderful rain water goes straight out into the ocean during large rain events in this city.

So...the drought isn't over yet folks! Especially when you ask our trees. So what is Tree Musketeers doing about it? We hold volunteer events 3 times a week! Our volunteers provide much needed water, remove invasive species which can out-compete natives in the search for water and refresh the mulch rings which help retain moisture in the soil. We are also encouraging people to recycle indoor household water to water their indoor and outdoor plants, even a portion of their lawn!

Our next big event will be Make a Difference Day which will include a Clean Up Competition at Trees to the Sea on October 24th. Members of the community are encouraged to come and care for the trees 

Links:

• To volunteer @ Trees to the Sea check out our volunteer calendar
• Make a Difference Day 2014 was a huge success, lets do it again!

After a long battle with the city to get permission to plant Trees to the Sea along Imperial Highway it has been equally challenging getting those trees watered on a consistent basis. Mature trees provide the most benefit by providing shade, protecting against erosion, sequestering the most greenhouse gasses and even creating a noise and sound barrier. Getting a tree established, healthy and self-sufficient in its first several years is our biggest priority.

So you can imagine how concerned we all were here at Tree Musketeers when we realized that accidents along the highway earlier this year caused several breaks in the irrigation line. After we gathered a bit of funding and supplies, volunteers, Arbor Day Task Force members and Tree Musketeers staff jumped into action to beat the dry season and get the line repaired. They were able to locate breaks and repair the damaged sections and now water is flowing again at Trees to the Sea!

A BIG Thank You goes out to all those that contributed to this joint effort!

As usual volunteer events are still happening at Trees to the Sea on a regular basis. We continue to remove invasive species, clear out trash and debris and simply give our trees a bit of love and attention. Did you miss our 28th Annual Arbor Day where we had a massive clean up at Trees to the Sea with dozens of bags of trash collected? Check out what you missed in our event photo gallery! If you have a free afternoon or Saturday morning consider signing up for one of our regularly scheduled volunteer events. Check out our volunteer calendar.

Links:

• Volunteer Calendar
• Arbor Day 2015 Photo Gallery