It's a Tree Party!!!

Here is a flyer announcing a tree planting on Ventura Boulevard between DeSoto and Canoga. The date set is Saturday, March 27 at 8 AM, and we are meeting at the Holiday Inn. There is more information on the flyer, and also in the Press Release here.

Very much looking forward to seeing in the 'hood several more trees like this one a few blocks away...



(Ginkgo biloba, Maidenhair Tree)

and, this one, just around the corner...



Below are my thoughts , which I also shared recently in an email to some of my local community...

The Ginkgo tree, featured in this post, is a tough prehistoric survivor, well adapted to our climate, and it is as well behaved as any tree in the urban landscape, as long as male selections are planted. (Female Ginkgos bear rather smelly, messy seedpods or fruit.) It has great potential to meet the need for a strong, structural and unifying landscape design element along the Boulevard, and in maturity to provide grace and beauty. In autumn, the beautiful foliage will turn golden, and politely drop at once for a brief clean-up. Once the trees mature, they will give much needed shade. Let's just be a bit patient, as we hope we are with our children, allowing the trees to grow up. (They can be a little awkward-looking as adolescents.)

Here is a photo of Ginkgo leaves just coming out today -- getting ready to party?



And, the lovely bark texture that develops in age...



The Community will plant a fruitless male variant of this tree. It both qualifies for grant-funding and it is on the existing streetscape plan. (Latter also means it has the approval of the City of Los Angeles, Urban Forestry Division.) This planting of 23 trees is being funded through "Million Trees Los Angeles", and it is co-sponsored by Councilman Dennis Zine's office and the Woodland Hills-Tarzana Chamber of Commerce.

This is one of the first steps toward improving the streetscape along our section of Ventura Boulevard, which has been targeted for improvement through the Woodland Hills Community Coalition. Members of the Costanso Neighborhood Watch Group and other neighborhood groups are supporting this project. Members of Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee of our WHWC Neighborhood Council have been hard at work reviewing the streetscape plan and looking to the future. Businesses all along the Boulevard, especially Chamber of Commerce members, are joining the effort that is being coordinated by Councilman Zine's office.

I was so happy to be a part of the research and decision-making process that led to this fine tree choice for Ventura Boulevard. Think they'd make a nice choice for our residential streets, too, where we are plagued with failure and breakage of enormous diseased Eucalyptus trees.

A very hearty thank you goes to those who are helping to make long hoped for dreams come true! Hope to see lots of folks with gardening gloves out for the event tomorrow!