Community

Urban Releaf Gets to the Roots

Published

10 years ago

February 19, 2014

Residents and business owners on San Leandro Boulevard and Fruitvale Avenue woke up to find nearly 60 trees being planted up and down their streets by urban forest organization Urban Releaf.

The event was part of the California Urban Forests Council’s “Invest from the Ground Up” statewide initiative to plant over 1,200 trees at 19 locations across California.

Over 100 volunteers from several organizations including the Unity Council, the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, and the California Urban Forests Council participated, learning proper planting standards and tree care from certified arborists.

The arborists that volunteered to teach also received Continued education units from the Western International Society of Arborist. Refreshments and food were also provided.

Armed with shovels, gloves, and bamboo stakes, the volunteers spent the morning digging out dirt, pruning broken branches and laying down mulch. There were also stumps that had to be removed and young trees replanted that rely on easier access to water to establish deep root systems.

“Many factors are taken into account when we’re planting, such as overhead wiring and having the necessary amount of concrete space to plant small, medium, and large trees around the city,” said Kevin Jefferson, Director of Research at Urban Releaf. “We added 10 new tree owners to our list because they saw the work we were doing and now want trees in front of their homes and businesses.”

A variety of tree species including the crepe myrtle, flowering plum, pyrus kawakami, and Chinese pistache were planted between Fruitvale Avenue and 40th Street.

“Urban Releaf has been serving the community for more than fifteen years, and we are pleased to be a part of this effort to plant so many trees throughout California in just a single day,” said Kemba Shakur, Director and founder of Urban Releaf Director of Research.

Urban Releaf is responsible for planting and caring for about 16,000 trees in low-income East Bay communities. When the City of Oakland was selected last December to join the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities Network to increase social and economic equality, a partnership was formed with Urban Releaf to help implement a climate action plan.

The plan involves evaluating impacts of climate change on utility and food costs, especially for low-income residents.

“Planting this many trees in a single day is a significant undertaking, and one which the community will benefit from for years to come – both in terms of environmental impacts, and making the Fruitvale District more aesthetically-pleasing to look at and live in,” said Shakur.

The next tree planting is scheduled for March 1st on Holly Street & 87th Street in East Oakland.

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Related Topics:City of Oakland Fruitvale District Oakland San Leandro blvd tree planting Urban Releaf

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

5 hours ago

April 26, 2024

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.