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This groundbreaking project is expected to restore 1,070 acres of forest, by engaging volunteers to remove quick-burning invasives and help plant more than 54,000 native plants and trees. Acorns, seeds, and plant specimens will also be collected to be used for future restoration projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Situated near one of the world’s largest urban centers, the Angeles National Forest plays a crucial role in local air and water quality, and serves as a vital habitat connectivity corridor for the California Floristic Province\u2013recognized 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Thursday\u2019s kickoff event, approximately 50 volunteers joined staff from TreePeople at Castaic Lake to re-plant a slope with a variety of native shrubs and grasses. Over the course of the next 5 years, TreePeople and volunteers will be planting 16,000 plants in the surrounding area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project\u2019s ultimate goal, says TreePeople\u2019s Executive Director of Operations Daniel Berger, is to help restore the natural balance of our local ecosystem, make it more sustainable for plants, animals, and people as the climate crisis worsens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFire is a part of our ecology here in SoCal but it shouldn\u2019t be happening at the frequency or severity that we\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fire has always been a natural part of California’s ecology. But in recent years, climate change and decreasing biodiversity have resulted in more frequent and larger wildfires in the Angeles National Forest and the adjacent wildland-urban interface. That\u2019s why on May 16, 2024, TreePeople and California Botanic Garden (CalBG) kicked off a $7 million initiative… <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/treepeople.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/53728263745_a090fb678b_k.jpg\")