Building Urban Resilience with Just Trees: Addressing Community Interests Within Urban Forestry Planning in South Los Angeles

Problem, research strategy, and findings Advancing resilience through the expansion of the urban forest is a critical topic in urban planning practice and research. Urban forestry initiatives that focus on increasing the tree canopy have been particularly important in tree-deficient communities, such as South Los Angeles (South LA; CA), a culturally diverse region where discriminatory policies and practices have contributed to environmental injustices and equity concerns. Despite efforts focused on addressing these injustices by increasing tree canopy coverage, minimal work has explored how tree-related initiatives fit within the broader needs and priorities of vulnerable communities. We have begun to address these dynamics through a qualitative case study analysis of tree planning efforts in South LA. Semistructured interviews with community leaders revealed insights about the challenges associated with maintenance of and engagement with the tree canopy in South LA. Past tree planning initiatives with poor engagement have made trees in South LA symbolic of competition for resources and green gentrification. Despite this, South LA community members are still eager to have just trees, or trees that are properly maintained and culturally responsive to South LA’s population.Takeaway for practice Our findings highlight key factors critical for advancing effective and equitable tree planning efforts in vulnerable urban areas, including the key needs, challenges, and recommendations for current and future planning, policy, and advocacy efforts related to trees in South LA. We recommend adopting more inclusive approaches to tree planning in urban communities that prioritize addressing the long-term impacts and legacies of environmental injustices and inequalities. Planners working to increase tree canopy in vulnerable urban communities should consider the equitable distribution of trees and their benefits in conjunction with meaningful community engagement at all levels of the tree planning process.