Tree Planting Program Takes Root

Concerned with inadequate foliage in many neighborhoods, the City Council on Monday approved the first step in a potentially massive tree-planting program.

Officials called for a committee and city staff members to recommend how many trees are needed, where they should be placed, and what varieties are appropriate. The committee will provide a plan to the council.

It could be six months to a year before the trees are planted and 10 to 20 years before neighborhoods reap the true benefits of shaded streets and potentially enhanced property values, officials said.

“In the end they’ll say they did a pretty good job back then, before the century turned,” Mayor Alice Jempsa said.

Council members viewed slides showing appropriate and inappropriate plantings throughout Los Alamitos and other cities. Many frames revealed cracked sidewalks and curbs caused by roots while others showed plantings that fit well in the narrow spaces between curbs, sidewalks and houses. Information: (562) 431-3538.