PPCC Library Integration Test

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Email: February 28, 2023
Subject: Application to be an Organization Rep to PPCC
From: David Card
To: Maryam Zar
Cc: Jenny Li, Cindy Kirven
Dear PPCC President Maryam Zar,
The Palisades Forestry Committee (PFC) respectively applies for PPCC Board
membership as an organization in the
Culture and Aesthetics category. PFC was formed at the suggestion of George
Wolfberg during his term as PPCC Chair, and he was one of the original committee
members. Our Mission Statement was approved by a vote of PPCC Board, a copy of
which is attached with our application and member list.
We were created because the original street tree planting organization, Palisades
Beautiful, formed in the 1970’s, was having difficulty agreeing on tree species selection
and street design. As a consequence, the city’s Urban Forestry Division (UFD),
StreetsLA, stopped planting street trees in Pacific Palisades. The city asked PPCC to
decide what the community wanted, so PFC was formed.
The new PFC deliberated on our Mission Statement, our organization, and an action
plan for getting trees in the ground, which took much discussion and quite some
time. We brought in UFD and others as advisors, who we have continued to work with
over the years. We thoroughly researched about 200 tree species from various street
tree lists for their multiple attributes, strengths and weaknesses, and we continue to do
so.
Our first project was to plant street trees on Hartzell in the Alphabet streets. Our
successful experience of planting trees there has helped us shape our process. With
the help of an owner on a street (Block Leader), we scout where there are parkway
vacancies, and we ask the homeowner if they would like a free street tree. If they agree
to water the tree and sign up, we get the okay from UFD and place the order with
CityPlants, which hires a contractor to plant the trees, such as LA Conservation
Corps. We act as the facilitator, not the contractor. We are now in the process with
several streets in Santa Monica Canyon and Via de la Paz (orders submitted), and we
just scouted vacancies on El Medio (south of Sunset).
We have also been active in planting trees in our public parks. Last November, we
facilitated getting six new trees planted in Palisades Recreation Center, replacing trees
that had fallen. The species and locations were approved by the arborist from Urban
Forestry Division of Rec & Parks (RAP UFD), the park’s Director, and the Park Advisory
Board. The trees were purchased by Randy Young (thank you Randy) and PPCC (our
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100th Anniversary contribution), and they were planted by RAP Maintenance Division
staff.
We are also working with multiple Pali Rec Center stake holders to remove the dead
and dying Pittosporum trees along the Alma Real / Rec Center property line, and
replace them with about 54 RAP UFD approved trees. This will not only re-establish
shade on that edge of the park, but also eventually screen the lights from the tennis
courts. This project is going to take some time to select a contractor, raise private
funding, and get final approval from RAP.
PFC has been working to facilitate the planting “100 Trees for 100 Years”, which PFC
brought to the Board as PPCC’s participation in the 100th Anniversary of the founding of
Pacific Palisades. PFC has helped and participated in the planting of trees on Hartzell,
the planting of two native trees on the January 14, 2022 anniversary celebration day (an
Oak in Founders Island, and a Sycamore at Simon Meadow’s habitat area), and the six
new trees at the Pali Rec Center. I’ve helped Randy Young in his Will Rogers State
Park tree planting project, which will go in the ground this year: 15 California Peppers
and 102 Blue Gums (100 of which are being contract grown at a nursery from seed, due
for delivery by the end of the year), replacing the natural attrition of trees there. With the
Will Rogers trees and the street tree applications to CityPlants, we should be well over
100 new trees by the end of the year. That doesn’t even count the approximately 150
trees planted last year at George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon.
We hope that our application will be well received by the PPCC Board. We look forward
to answering any questions.
David Card, landscape designer
Chair, Palisades Forestry Committee
310-454-5024 home
310-508-3681 mobile
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