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Long Beach Plants Trees at Muir Academy for Clean Air Day
By Staff Writer
Published on Tue, Oct 14, 2025
New trees are taking root at John Muir TK-8 Academy.
On Clean Air Day, Oct. 1, students, staff and partners rolled up their sleeves to plant 15 Chinese Elm trees and six Crape Myrtles along the school’s front parkway. The new additions will help cool sidewalks and the playground, freshen the air and provide a daily dose of nature for students.
The planting was part of the Westside Promise - a 10-year investment plan aimed at addressing historic challenges in West Long Beach. The effort was led by the Office of Climate Action and Sustainability in partnership with the Port of Long Beach and the Long Beach Container Terminal.
The event also kicked off the 2025-26 tree planting season, which will see hundreds of new trees expanding Long Beach’s urban canopy. An estimated $97,000 will go toward planting 737 trees this season, including at least 100 trees in West Long Beach. Around 40 more trees are already slated for the area near West Wardlow Road and Caspian Avenue.
Residents can even branch out themselves by requesting a free parkway tree.
It’s all part of Long Beach’s Tree Planting Program, which began in 2011 with roughly 150 trees per year and has since grown through federal, state and local grants. Last season alone, 1,200 trees found homes in neighborhoods citywide.
The benefits go well beyond curb appeal: trees clean the air, cool heat-prone streets, soak up stormwater and even boost property values.
Residents can follow the tree-planting progress, weigh in on Long Beach’s Urban Forest Plan, sign up to volunteer or request a free tree by visiting lbcity.info/treeplanting.
