A community tree watering event, sponsored by the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council’s Safe Traffic & Transportation Committee and Council District 7, held another successful tree watering on Saturday, Oct. 5.

The 25 volunteers ranged in age from 12 to 80 years old and, in just 2.5 hours, they each watered 110 trees with 10 gallons along Foothill Boulevard. Fifteen more trees were watered that evening by committee members, bringing the total to 125. The trees watered were on either side of Foothill Boulevard in Sunland stretching from Mt. Gleason Avenue to Sunland Boulevard at the 210 Freeway exit.

What is of particular importance is that almost all of these trees were previously encased in agriperm – a non-permeable pavement that was placed in collars around the tree wells when they were planted 20 years ago. This destructive pavement prevented the trees from accessing water as they grew larger, making them brittle and susceptible to the drought.

To remedy this problem, over the past two years a special crew of volunteers worked to remove the agriperm from the trees. Then recently, workers from the City of LA’s Bureau of Street Services Urban Forestry Division removed the remaining agriperm from the last 29 trees, giving them access to more hydration for the first time in many years.

This made all of the difference in the recent tree watering event because the trees could now drink in the water whereas before it rolled off of the tree wells and into the gutter.

Helping the STNC’s Safe Traffic & Transportation (STAT) Committee were members of the Crescenta Valley Group of the Sierra Club, STNC’s Beautification Committee, students from Our Lady of Lourdes School and community members from Sunland-Tujunga and La Crescenta.

With everyone’s help, these trees will continue to provide a beautiful, healthy canopy of shade, lowering the temperature by 10 to 20 degrees, providing homes to birds and insects and making the Foothill Boulevard corridor a more welcoming place to do business.

By Pat KRAMER