COSTA MESA

ReLeaf Costa Mesa has planted more than 600 trees with the use of a state urban forestry grant, bringing the group within reach of its goal to plant 2,000 trees by year’s end. Since 1993, ReLeaf has planted 1,669 trees in the city, leaving a little more than 300 trees to go. An $18,000 grant from the state Department of Forestry and the work of 1,350 people made ReLeaf’s progress possible. With the end of the 1999 planting season, ReLeaf will concentrate on membership drives and fund-raising during the summer, board member Felix Posos said. In addition to filling vacant parkway spots with trees, providing shade for neighborhoods and increasing property values, the tree plantings helped build community pride, Posos said.