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Community Corner

Planting Trees: The New Barn Raising

Urban trees thrive with proper planning, planting, irrigation and neighborhood support.

I have only good things to say about trees.  For me they provide shade, tranquility, and strategic camouflage for hide-and-go-seek.  For the planet, trees provide oxygen, filter air pollutants (ozone and nitrogen oxides), remove particulates, and scrub carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  As long as they aren’t destroying your sidewalk, what’s not to like?

But it takes a village to plant a tree.  That is what Brett Beck, Alamitos Heights resident and Long Beach’s go-to-tree-guy, has discovered.  Since his wife Christina signed him up for a tree planting in San Pedro in 2007, Brett has planted nearly 400 trees in parkways, schools, parks, and parking lots around Long Beach.  Maybe you have noticed the new eucalyptus near the entrance to Belmont Shore, the 48 trees at Lowell Elementary, or the 52 saplings near the Livingston Park Tot Lot?  Brett and a merry band of community volunteers planted all of those trees and more.  And if you look closely, you will probably see him cruising by in a gold Prius with a bucket of water at the ready checking the health of each one. 

So Brett really knows what a tree needs to thrive -- good soil, proper irrigation, gopher proofing, and community buy-in.  Brett knows that people “must be invested in caring for new trees” (which take a year to establish their roots) and be “part of the decision to plant them in their neighborhood.”  So he gets involved when neighbors call him or Councilman Gary DeLong with a specific request.  Brett coaches people through the process of choosing trees (Long Beach has 40 approved species based on water requirements and root structures), applying for permits, finding funds, organizing volunteers, and ordering trees.  Then on planting day, he arrives with positive energy and lots of tools, usually in a wagon pulled by his two children.

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I have planted trees with Brett several times and know what hard work it is.  But at the end of the day, the pay-off is beautiful and immediate.  My kids gave the trees names, like Noodle and Rio, and continue to help us fertilize and water them.  Like Brett, we are proud that we worked with our neighbors to help beautify our street and that our efforts will grow year after year.  For Brett, the best part of volunteering countless Saturdays is meeting neighbors he otherwise would never meet.  He is always amazed how thankful people are and shrugs off the praise, saying “why wouldn’t I try to make any street a little nicer.” 

Because trees provide so many environmental, recreational and economic benefits, cities like Long Beach are making an effort to plant urban forests – where every backyard and parkway tree counts.  According to a recent UC Davis study, each urban tree consumes 329 pounds of CO2 per year.  EPA guidelines suggest that an average passenger car produces 5.2 metric tons of CO2 equivalent a year.  By those numbers, Brett’s 400 trees have already taken the equivalent of 11.5 cars per year off the road--a good start indeed.

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According to Julie Maleki (administrative analyst for Councilman DeLong), support from community activists like Brett is critical, especially since the city is grappling with budget shortfalls every year.  Planting trees is considered a Third District priority, but most trees “are planted in parkways by residents who would like to green their neighborhood and take ownership and care of the tree(s).”  If you are interested in planting trees in your community or school, just grab your neighbors and call Brett at 562-233-4493 or email the Third District office at http://www.longbeach.gov/district3/.

Councilman DeLong sums it up nicely: "Brett Beck is the guy we all want to live next door to.  He is smart, friendly and puts the interests of his community first.  I am fortunate to have a community leader like Brett Beck live in my district."  We are all fortunate to have people like Brett in our village.

Additional Resources:

www.TreePeople.org – A Los Angeles non-profit organization that taught Brett Beck everything he knows about planting trees.

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