Branching Out: Building Health and Equity Through Community Forestry

In an increas­ing­ly urban­ized world, the role of nature with­in our com­mu­ni­ties has nev­er been more impor­tant. The need to inte­grate trees and green spaces is essen­tial not only for envi­ron­men­tal sus­tain­abil­i­ty but also for the health and well-being of res­i­dents. Com­mu­ni­ty forestry, the prac­tice of involv­ing local com­mu­ni­ties in the man­age­ment and care of com­mu­ni­ty forests, stands as a key strat­e­gy to address these needs. By fos­ter­ing a close rela­tion­ship between peo­ple and their nat­ur­al sur­round­ings, com­mu­ni­ty forestry ensures that the many ben­e­fits of trees are rec­og­nized, val­ued, and pre­served for future gen­er­a­tions.

The Los Ange­les Coun­ty Com­mu­ni­ty For­est Man­age­ment Plan (CFMP) was devel­oped to address gaps in tree cov­er­age and expand the ben­e­fits of trees to under­served com­mu­ni­ties. Through col­lab­o­ra­tion with key depart­ments like Parks and Recre­ation, Pub­lic Health, and Pub­lic Works, as well as com­mu­ni­ty-based orga­ni­za­tions and res­i­dents, the CFMP aims to increase tree canopy cov­er­age, focus­ing on areas that lack parks and green spaces. The Plan also address­es emerg­ing threats, such as cli­mate change and inva­sive pests, by imple­ment­ing sci­ence-based prac­tices and pri­or­i­tiz­ing com­mu­ni­ty engage­ment to ensure a sus­tain­able, inclu­sive approach to tree man­age­ment and expan­sion.

The CFMP seeks to cre­ate a more equi­table com­mu­ni­ty for­est through ini­tia­tives like increas­ing tree canopy in vul­ner­a­ble areas, enhanc­ing tree health and longevi­ty, fos­ter­ing com­mu­ni­ty engage­ment, and prepar­ing the com­mu­ni­ty for­est to adapt to cli­mate chal­lenges. By involv­ing res­i­dents in all aspects of com­mu­ni­ty forestry, L.A. Coun­ty is build­ing a foun­da­tion for long-term sup­port and resilience. This for­ward-think­ing plan not only ben­e­fits cur­rent res­i­dents but also paves the way for a health­i­er and green­er future, par­tic­u­lar­ly in com­mu­ni­ties his­tor­i­cal­ly impact­ed by envi­ron­men­tal injus­tices.