San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer planted a tree Saturday near a Logan Heights elementary school as part of a city beautification effort.
Faulconer — who was joined by students, teachers and community members — planted the drought-tolerant tree on a city sidewalk behind Burbank Elementary, located on Julian Avenue.
“Together, we’re building our better neighborhoods, and projects like this are how we do it,” Faulconer said. “The 18 trees planted today are part of San Diego’s plan to create a greener and more sustainable future.”
The city will plant 300 trees in Logan Heights, said Jen Lebron Kuhney, press secretary for the mayor’s office.
“It’s just a small part of the bigger picture when it comes to San Diego’s urban forest efforts,” she said, adding that the city government will plant 1,800 trees throughout San Diego this year.
About 100 people attended today’s event. Along with Faulconer and Logan Heights residents, representatives from Tree San Diego, One San Diego, CalFire and Urban Corps were on hand.
Barbara Ybarra, executive director of One San Diego, said it was amazing to see people of all ages participate.
“In the simple act of planting these trees, you felt the buzz of community pride,” Ybarra said.
She added the family living in a house across the street from Burbank Elementary was so happy that they helped plant a tree, too.
Beautification is one way to help bring communities together, Ybarra said. Last year, One San Diego contacted Tree San Diego on the project and Logan Heights “seemed [to be] a good fit.”
“It was really a win-win all the way around,” said Ybarra, who also planted a tree. “We really could not have asked for anything better.”
The city — with help from Tree San Diego, Urban Core and One San Diego — recently received a grant from CalFire to pay for the 300 trees, Kuhney said.
San Diego is a member of Tree City USA. Its Climate Action Plan includes a goal of achieving 35-percent canopy cover by 2035.
— City News Service
