Tree Guidelines for Coastal Southern California Communities

Sustaining healthy community forests will be important to quality of life as many Coastal Southern California communities continue to grow during the next decade. The role of urban forests to enhance the environment, increase community attractiveness, and foster civic pride will take on greater significance as communities strive to balance economic growth with environmental quality and social well-being. 

Coastal Southern California communities can promote energy efficiency through tree planting and stewardship programs that strategically locate trees to shade buildings, cool urban heat islands, and minimize conflicts with power lines and other aspects of the urban infrastructure. Also, these same trees can provide additional benefits by reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), improving air quality, reducing stormwater runoff, increasing property values, enhancing community attractiveness, and promoting human health and well-being. The simple act of planting trees provides opportunities to connect residents with nature and with each other. Neighborhood tree plantings and stewardship projects stimulate investment by local citizens, business, and government in the betterment of their communities. 

This report addresses a number of questions about the energy conservation potential and other benefits of urban and community forests in Coastal Southern California.