City crews plant new trees across Santa Barbara during Arbor Week
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The City of Santa Barbara’s Urban Forestry program celebrated Arbor Week by planting new trees across the city.
The observance is recognized in California from March 7 through March 14.
Tree planting events hosted at local elementary schools provided interactive learning experiences to educate students about the importance of trees while encouraging them to take an active role in caring for the environment.
Third and sixth-grade students heard from members of the City’s Urban Forestry team before helping plant new trees on campus for current and future students to enjoy.
Nonprofit organization Santa Barbara Beautiful funded the purchase of the new trees and copies of The Magic and Mystery of Trees and In Search of the Old Ones: An Odyssey Among Ancient Trees for the libraries of all local elementary and secondary schools so that students can continue their learning.
Forestry staff began work on an initiative to bring shade to streets with limited tree cover.
The latest effort focuses on West Valerio and West Islay streets, where current trees, primarily palm trees, provide little shade.
New species will be planted between the existing mature palms to help mitigate the urban heat island effect and provide a cooler and more comfortable environment.
The new trees will be added to the Urban Forestry program’s maintenance and watering schedule, with extra attention given in the first two to three years.
This will ensure the survival and establishment of the young trees after transplanting.
As the trees become established and require less intense maintenance, additional trees can be planted and added to the program’s maintenance schedule.
This approach ensures that plantings do not outpace the staff and financial resources needed to maintain Santa Barbara’s urban forest.
The City of Santa Barbara’s Urban Forestry program operates within the Parks and Recreation Department and manages approximately 75,000 trees, 35,000 of which are street trees.
Santa Barbara has one of California’s most diverse urban forests with over 450 tree species. Santa Barbara has held the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA ® designation for 44 years, making it one of the longest-recognized cities in the country.
To learn more, visit SantaBarbaraCA.gov/UrbanForest.
