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 the Spring of 2012, LAVC was named a 2011 Tree Campus USA®