Helping Hands Needed to Heal L.A.'s Station Fire Damage

On August 26, 2009 the largest wildfire in Angeles National Forest and Los Angeles County history erupted. The Station Fire burned over 160,000 acres of the forest during the course of several months. After two years of letting the forest heal and coordinating the Angeles Mountain Restoration, Forest Aid: Angeles, a partnership of TreePeople and the U.S. Forest Service, is ready to start planting. Armed with 55 staffers, TreePeople absolutely needs more able and willing hands to tackle this massive effort. They are currently seeking volunteers, especially during the weekdays.

The first planting day is this Saturday, March 5, from 9am-1pm. Volunteers must preregister via the TreePeople website and will receive a confirmation email containing all necessary details. Volunteer days are Wednesdays through Sundays, 9am-1pm. All equipment is provided, including mandatory hardhats. Working boots and layers are recommended to combat low temperatures and unpredictable terrain.

Volunteers can expect a fun atmosphere while learning valuable information about the forest and planting seedlings. Térese Tarantino, TreePeople's Communications Manager, describes the seedlings as "very delicate" and assures that supervisors will walk volunteers through the planting process before they disassemble into groups. By aiding the forest's regrowth, volunteers will help restore wildlife habitat in the fire-damaged areas, help prevent dangerous erosion (think mudslides), produce cleaner air, restore the forest's pristine beauty, have their own legacy in the national forest, be part of a meaningful project and gain a better understanding of forest ecology and water management.

Goals for the effort are ambitious and largely dependent on the volunteer effort. TreePeople aims to recruit 3,000 volunteers this year to plant 23,000 seedlings. A total of 70,000 seedlings will be planted over the next three years. An extraordinary example of green thumb, volunteers will plant 1,200 trees per day during the weekend planting events. Native conifers - Ponderosa and Coulter Pines - will flourish once again.

Devastated by the fire, the community is anxious to rebuild their forest. One of the most beloved stops along the Angeles National Forest was demolished in the blaze - the historic Hidden Springs Cafe. "We had a huge interest from the community that was harmed. They really wanted to get out there and help," says Tarantino.

Plantings run through May 2011 and will resume again in March of 2012. If interested in a leadership role for all three years, volunteers can train to become Angeles Restoration Supervisors. The one-day trainings began in November 2010 and have educated about 150 committed leaders so far.

TreePeople's mission is not simple; it requires immense coordination plus the engagement and dedication of Angelenos. They work to "inspire, engage and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment" by uniting "the power of trees, people and technology to grow a sustainable future for Los Angeles."

Hug a tree; heal our city.