History of LAVC’s Urban Forest
The vision for Los Angeles Valley College’s urban forest began when the college’s founding Biology faculty began planting a diverse array of trees and plants on campus. These plants not only beautified the campus, but could serve as a teaching tool for students.
In an effort to maintain the vitality of its urban forest, LAVC established an Urban Forest Master Plan in 2010. This 323-page document was a comprehensive analysis of the state of the college’s over 1,600 trees and plants, and contained recommendations for its on-going maintenance and development. The plan recommended the replacement of specific trees due to disease, other factors impacting its ongoing health, and/or pose a serious safety hazard, recommended new strategies for maintenance since 93% of the current trees on campus are mature, encouraged planting of trees of varying ages, and established guidelines for building architects and maintenance staff.
In 2011, LAVC was named a Tree Campus USA® by the Arbor Day Foundation. It is the first (and only) community college in California and the only college campus in Los Angeles to achieve this unique distinction.