Who We Are

Born from the efforts of a teenager over 50 years ago, TreePeople inspires and supports the people of Southern California to come together to plant and care for trees, harvest the rain, and renew depleted landscapes. TreePeople has activated more than 3 million people in planting and caring for more than 3 million trees.

TreePeople unites with communities to grow a greener, shadier, and more water-secure city in homes, neighborhoods, schools, and the local mountains. We work with both educators and students to train the next generation of eco-conscious leaders. We steward thousands of acres of land—maintaining habitats and protecting land from development. We develop original, actionable research that drives science-based policy. We train volunteers on the ground to help build a greener Southern California.

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Our Focus Areas

Education

Providing students, teachers and the school community with the knowledge, tools and support they need to create environmental change.

Forestry

Restoring ecosystems, planting trees, and incorporating nature-based solutions from Southern California urban streets to our greater watershed.

Policy & Research

Conducting cutting-edge research and facilitating policies that support nature-based solutions.

Community

Working towards environmental and social justice among environmentally stressed communities.

Key Initiatives

Volunteer

Volunteering with TreePeople is fun and rewarding. Our events empower you with the support, training and tools you need to be an engine of change. Join us each week as we plant and care for trees throughout Los Angeles, remove invasive species and maintain our projects throughout Southern California.

The Canopy

Canopy funds will directly benefit our initiatives in urban and school greening for underserved communities, support our wildfire restoration initiatives, and allow us to provide environmental education to thousands of students each year.

Visit Our Parks

Imagine watching the lights of Los Angeles fade and the stars appear or walking down the trail learning something new about the natural environment, including native plants that you can use in your own garden! Join TreePeople educators for a variety of guided activities that are fun, informative and designed for the whole family. Depending on the time of year, a variety of options are available.

Native Plants E-Book

Our highly anticipated native plant guide, “Southern California Native Plants: A Starter Guide from TreePeople” is now available for free download! This beautifully illustrated e-book is chock-full of TreePeople’s favorite native plants and trees, garden planning tips, maintenance hints, planting requirements, and other helpful resources.

Shop

For nearly 50 years, TreePeople has planted over 3 million trees with 3 million volunteers across Southern California. Purchasing these products helps us plant and care for the next 3 million!

TreePeople Works

The Ultimate Gift Guide For People Who Love Nature

Looking for the perfect gift for the environmental enthusiast in your life? Give them the gift of a greener Earth (and some cool merch) with TreePeople’s holiday gift guide! For the one who has everything: Tree Dedications are symbolic gifts that grow! Donations given through Tree Dedications support our mountain forest restoration and urban greening…

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Cindy Montañez planting a tree

Celebrating Cindy Montañez: A Driving Force Behind TreePeople’s Remarkable Growth and Impact

TreePeople, a leading environmental nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a sustainable future for Southern California, celebrates the life and remarkable achievements of CEO Cindy Montañez who passed away on Saturday, October 21, 2023. Since assuming her role in 2016, Montañez’s unwavering dedication, innovative vision, and commitment to environmental sustainability have driven TreePeople’s extraordinary growth and…

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TreePeople Volunteers Help Bring the Green to Pacoima Middle School

Only feet away from Interstate 5–where hundreds of thousands of vehicles roll down the freeway every day–a team of TreePeople staff and volunteers assembled at Pacoima Middle School on Saturday, October 14th to bring dozens of new trees and much needed green space to the campus. As the temperatures soared to over 90 degrees, concrete…

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Stop the Top

You’ve undoubtedly seen it, and may aggravate you as you drive by it. The sight of a mature tree that has been cut well below the height it should be reaching. This tree, sadly, has been Topped. It is as unnatural as it seems, a huge trunk with a tiny sphere of leaves. This is,…

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