Have you heard of TreeMapLA?
If you’re unfamiliar, TreeMapLA is an app you can download that’s a public inventory and education tool allowing users to interact with their environment in a new way. Users “map” a tree by entering its location, species, and size to create an interactive map of our urban forest and its value—including environmental and economic benefits. The app also gives people the ability to map a variety of watershed solutions, including rain barrels and cisterns.
When it launched, TreeMapLA relied on Angelenos’ involvement, but now there have been huge inventories uploaded from Culver City, Pico Rivera, Duarte and LA City Rec and Parks thanks to a new feature developers created to add mass data inventories. These new additions total 102,095 newly documented trees to date, with the hope of reaching 250,000 by the fall.
By using the crowd sourced data, TreeMapLA calculates the Eco Benefits provided—from energy conserved, to air quality improvement, to the amount of stormwater filtered and beyond! In fact, with the trees mapped so far, Angelenos can celebrate Eco Benefits upward of $4 million in savings!
The program also empowers users to take action to create searchable alerts when nearby trees are in need of care, like weeding or watering, allowing other residents the opportunity to participate in citizen science.
With summer around the corner, now is the perfect time to participate. Here are a few ways you can take part in the fun:
Get out and explore! There are still many trees across our city just waiting to be checked out. If you’re out for a walk, pull up the map and search nearby mapped trees. The app can even help you identify which trees are fruiting or in bloom.
Find and care for needy trees! Have a few extra hours on a Sunday afternoon? Make an adventure out of it! Search the app for trees that need care, then go out and show them some love.
Map your trees! There are still thousands of trees on that haven’t been uploaded to the map. Create records of the trees at your house or apartment complex and watch the Eco Benefits add up.
Looking for more ways to get involved? Check out TreeMapLA’s website for more information and don’t forget to download the app on your smartphone using the App Store or Google Play.