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Free Trees for the IE

By Crystal Valenzuela
Community Engagement Specialist
03/22/2022 at 04:30 PM

It started in late 2020 when Governor Gavin Newsom launched the California Climate Action Corps, a first-of-its-kind pioneer program set to connect college students and recent grads with host sites in five cities interested in advancing one of three key areas of climate change work: food rescue, urban greening, and wildfire prevention. The Inland Empire Resource Conservation District (IERCD), a local government agency headquartered in Redlands, jumped at the opportunity to address the need for increased tree canopy in the Inland Empire.

“Our first step was to reach out to Janet Hartin, UCANR’s Area Environmental Horticulture Advisor for Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties,” said Mandy Parkes, IERCD’s District Manager. “We’ve collaborated extensively with her over the years, and we knew Janet had been developing a regionally-scaled concept for connecting community members to climate-appropriate trees, alongside access to technical assistance from regional UCCE Master Gardeners to ensure long-term tree health and survival. Following discussions, the project concept solidified and we were matched with amazing Fellows able to help facilitate this work throughout target communities in the Inland Empire.”

Two years and two cohorts of students later, the program has continued to grow. IERCD, along with partners at the University of California – Ag and Natural Resources, UCCE Master Gardeners of San Bernardino, Common Vision Coalition, and Music Changing Lives, is inviting community members in north Redlands, west Highland, and San Bernardino to sign up to receive trees at no cost. The colorful selection has been picked from UCANR’s Climate-Appropriate Tree study, which this year consists of both landscaping trees and three species of fruit trees.

Crystal Cortez, IERCD’s Education Programs Manager, described the District’s approach to getting the trees to the public. “One of the speed bumps we came across early on is that people weren’t really receptive to the door-to-door advertising that we originally came up with,” she reflected. “No one really enjoys strangers coming up to their door, so we had to switch gears and figure out where people would be more comfortable. That’s when we started partnering with trusted community organizations, like Music Changing Lives, to host large-scale community events where people could have fun, hang out, and get some free trees! It’s been well received!”

The first of these community events took place on February 27th, when IERCD and the Climate Action Corps joined Music Changing Lives at one of their regularly scheduled “Soulful Sunday” events. The event featured a presentation on the science, methods, and advantages of a plant compatibility approach to gardening, the installation of 36 fifteen-gallon fruit trees on the property, and the giveaway of 60 five-gallon trees to community members. The hope is that all of these trees will be planted locally and contribute to elevating urban tree canopy numbers in the area.

It's not too late to grab your free tree, too. The IERCD will be distributing free trees alongside Assemblymember James Ramos on Saturday, April 2nd, from 10 AM – 2 PM at Sandals Church in San Bernardino (3701 N Sierra Way), and are slated to host a number of future events. If you would like to participate in any of these, either to receive a tree or volunteer your time, visit www.iercd.org/climate-corps today. You can also sign up with IERCD to pick up or have one or more trees dropped off to you as part of monthly tree giveaways in association with the University of Redlands Climate Action Corps project work.

For more local news and information click here.