Quote:
Originally Posted by ocman
And there are trees growing in Los Angeles on city-owned sidewalks that don't get watered except for the occasional rain. The notion that you shouldn't grow trees in LA is ridiculous especially considering how many drought-tolerant trees exist in the world and LA. (Not to mention it's a myth that LA is a desert that's never seen a tree before because rain doesn't exist). Trees are the solution in LA to heating environments as well as air quality. And in terms of water, its doesn't even put a dent in actual municipal usage comparatively. So yes, LA should plant "forests" i.e public spaces with lots of trees.
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Los Angeles is a chaparral biome. Look at any old photos of the landscape, or even just visit one of the few undeveloped tracts of land around the Southern California region, and you'll see this place was never a forest (outside of the mountains). Chaparral consists of drought tolerant shrubs and grasses that can withstand the ~7 months of minimal rainfall the region sees between May and November. Yes, there are a few species of native trees that grow here as well, but they mostly clustered near water sources, and existed as patch habitats rather than forests. Those are just facts. Many of the trees commonly seen around LA are not native- Jacarandas, most species of palms, etc. are all imports.
I don't see why it's controversial to say LA is not a forested landscape. If someone wants to plant as many trees as they can on their private property, go for it! What I take issue with is the
demand that many Angelenos make for the city to provide them with an 'urban forest' so they can walk around more comfortably in the summer. Sorry, but I don't think that's how things should work. You don't move to Buffalo and demand the city to provide heated sidewalks to make walking more pleasant in the winter. It's cold and snowy in the winter there, and you deal with it. Similarly, it's hot and relentlessly sunny in LA in the summer (especially in places like the Valley, which is where I last heard this demand for the city to provide an urban forest). It's a chaparral region, not a forest, and imo it's unreasonable to expect the city to create an artificial biome so you can be more comfortable in the summer.
Ever hear an Angeleno talk about humidity? It's incredibly common to hear some variation of "oh I could never live on the east coast/midwest/wherever, it's SO humid and gross there in the summer!" Well, humidity and rain throughout the year is what allows for urban forests to exist in Atlanta and DC and cities throughout the eastern part of the country. Wanting a forest to exist in LA is wanting to have your cake and eat it too.