“Trees need people,” professes the nonprofit TreePeople. “And people need trees.”  In the wake of the January 2025 Southern California wildfires, the statement holds even greater impact.

Now, thanks to the League of California Community Foundations/Wildfire Resilience Fund through Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF), TreePeople is broadening its reach in its mission to inspire, engage, and support individuals to take personal responsibility for the environment.

“TreePeople has traditionally been Los Angeles County-focused,” said David Pineda, Director of Strategy for the nonprofit. “And we are focused on restoration and reforestation projects in the Santa Monica and sometimes Santa Monica Mountains and the Angeles National Forest. 

“But this IECF grant really allowed us to advance our partnership and planning efforts that we have with the San Bernardino National Forest to conduct similar on-the-ground reforestation projects,” he added. “This allows us to plan strategically with the forest and partners to begin work and access additional resources to get the projects done.”

The grant specifically gives TreePeople an opportunity to hone in on the Apple and El Dorado fire star areas and plan and build a partnership with the forest service. That would allow the nonprofit to pursue larger public funds.

“Funding is a really crucial piece of that puzzle,” Pineda said.

It’s also an ongoing endeavor for TreePeople. Like most nonprofits, resources are key, yet in a given year, funding fluctuates, making the organization’s mission to inform people all the more challenging.

“People may not realize the scale at which the organization is operating on,” Pineda said. “We’re a staff of about 120 folks across the greater Los Angeles area, and more and more in the Inland Empire region. It’s important for folks to know that, yeah, we are doing work across the mountains in Southern California and across the urban communities in the IE and L.A. areas.”

Launched in 1973, TreePeople has become one of the largest environmental organizations stationed in Southern California. It aims to “inspire, engage, and support” more than 3 million people in the region to act for the environment. This can be done in numerous ways, but planting and caring for trees in forests, mountains, parks, and our neighborhoods is one key initiative. 

To that end, the nonprofit guides communities to create—perhaps “plant”—a more resilient future by greening their neighborhoods. Through its educational programs, TreePeople easily shares knowledge with various policymakers, students, educators, and communities in the region and around the world.

Pineda encourages individuals to visit the nonprofit’s website and consider volunteer opportunities. Forestry and school greening projects stand out. When schools are covered in concrete, for instance, TreePeople creates green schoolyards. Additionally, if communities experience food insecurity, TreePeople distributes fruit trees. 

Drought issues are also addressed. During California droughts, TreePeople designs solutions to capture rainwater. 

Two other key initiatives stand out.

One of them is education. TreePeople provides students, teachers, and school communities with knowledge and the tools and support needed to create environmental change. Another prominent anchor is the TreePeople Land Trust, which stewards more than 3,000 acres of land in the Santa Monica Mountains, thereby protecting those spaces for the benefit of future generations. 

To learn more or to volunteer, visit treepeople.org.

This article originally appeared in the Press-Enterprise, April 2025.

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